Messin' With Montana
by SparkELee
Summary: Danny knows how easy it is to get Lindsay going, the question is, when does it stop being a game? And what's it going to cost him?
1. Monday Morning

First of all, thanks for clicking. I appreciate the chance. This isn't my first fic, but it's my first CSI NY fic, though I have been tooling around in these pages for the last two weeks or so, so I'm going to give this a shot. Please be kind, I don't read flames.

And Review of course!

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 1: Monday Morning

_ Beep! Beep! Beep!_ Danny Messer groaned loudly and roller over, slapping wildly at his bedside table, hoping

to destroy the hateful clock that had violated his REM cycle.

He'd only gone to sleep 4 hours ago. The team had been called to a scene the night before and after

processing, he and Hawkes had stopped for a couple of beers. They'd invited Lindsay along, but she'd declined

and he'd dropped her off.

The thought of the young woman set his mind off and running. Not that thinking about the goody two shoes

from Montana was a new thing.

His feet made no sound as he padded to the bathroom, his mind still turning the concept of Lindsay over in his

mind.

Historically speaking, women like Lindsay Monroe didn't fall for guys like Danny Messer. They came from 2

different worlds. She was the perfect, faultless girl from Montana and he was the screwed up boy from the bad

streets of Staten Island. Girls like her barely ever looked his way.

At his last thought, Danny lifted his head from rinsing the toothpaste out of his mouth and met his eyes in the

mirror. He couldn't help but feel that his perception of her was a bit off, like it didn't entirely fit.

"Forget it. Not like she'd ever be interested in you anyways. Besides you have a girlfriend, one much better

suited to you than Lindsay Monroe." He reminded himself as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.

So, why exactly did his thoughts constantly turn to the unsuitable brunette from Montana when he had a leggy

blonde from the old neighborhood a phone call away?

Hawkes words from the night before washed over him. "Because you want what you think you can't have.

Dan, you aren't in the old neighborhood anymore. You always talk about wanting to get as far away as possible,

yet you date a girl from there and you hide behind it whenever life gets tough. Lindsay doesn't care about your

past Danny. She cares about you." Danny had brushed the conversation off, changing subjects. The wise ME

knew when to take a hint and knew that Danny would come around when he was ready, but not a minute

sooner.

Danny sighed loudly and hunted through his closet. He considered himself to be a decent dresser, though he

didn't put as much concern into his work attire, being that it was only work. But lately, he'd had the urge to

dedicate a bit more time on his wardrobe. He decided on his normal jeans, opting for a blue button down and

black jacket over it. He knew why he did it, but he figured as long as he kept his reason quiet, then no one else

would know, or at least that's what he told himself.

With one last glance in the mirror, he grabbed his keys and headed to the garage and off to work. Traffic was

with him this morning and he got to work 20 minutes before his shift started. He liked being early, it gave him

time to collect his thoughts and get in the right frame of mind. He parked his truck and strode through the lobby,

catching the elevator just as the doors were about to close. Another Monday….

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Lindsay Monroe surveyed her closet with a critical eye. She'd gotten up much earlier than normal, over an

hour early in fact.

She'd slept poorly the previous night. She'd been called to a scene yesterday evening and processing wasn't

over until 10:30 pm. Danny had asked her if she wanted to get a beer, but she'd been exhausted and instead,

he'd taken her home.

FLASHBACK

Lindsay blew a strew piece of hair off her face as she loaded the last piece of equipment into the lab truck.

Mac came around the back. "Head out Lindsay. Stella and I will take it back. You and Danny can start

processing tomorrow." He told her. She nodded mutely. She was exhausted.

She watched as the truck pulled away. She moved to grab her jacket from the post it was on but another hand

grabbed it before she did. "You look beat Montana." _Danny._ She turned to look up into the blue eyes of the

coat thief. He held her coat open as she pulled it on.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special." She muttered.

"Aw, well Montana, you don't need me to tell you that you're special. You know you are." He told her softly.

His hand was on the back of her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair. She wasn't sure if it was his kind words or

if it was his hand, but her heart was slamming against her rib cage and butterflies were waging war in her

stomach.

Before she could form a coherent response, he pushed on. "Wanna grab a beer with me and Hawkes?" he

asked. She contemplated it for a moment. As much as she wanted to go, she was exhausted. Besides, it's not

like he'd even pay attention to her if Hawkes was there.

"Raincheck?" She asked quietly.

He smiled at her. "You got it. In the mean time, I'm taking you home." He told her as his hand slid from her

neck to her back as he told Hawkes he was taking her home and he'd meet him at the bar.

They'd walked to the car in relative silence. He pulled open the passenger door for her, then climbed in and

started to her apartment.

_ Say something Lindsay!_ She silently commanded herself. "Thanks for taking me, I could have walked

though." She told him. _Nice, way to say something meaningful._

He grinned at her independence. "It's 11 pm. This is New York, not Montana. Girl like you wouldn't last the

15 minute walk to your apartment." He told her. "Besides, what kind of guy would I be if I let you walk home?"

He continued.

She smiled her appreciation and turned her head to the buildings going by outside. He made her incredibly

nervous when they were this close, so she tended to clam up a bit.

"End of the road kiddo." He announced, snapping her out of her trance. She grabbed her purse and coat.

"Thanks Danny." She said, tentatively putting her hand on his arm.

"No problem. Flash me when you get upstairs." He told her.

Her eyes involuntarily popped out of her head as her jaw dropped.

He laughed at her shocked expression. "I mean, flash your lights at me, ya know, turn the lights on and off a

few times." He explained through his laughter.

She turned a bright shade of red. _Of course that's what he meant! Way to look like a ditz from the _

_Midwest!_ She mentally chided herself.

She smiled, embarrassed. "Ok, I get it, sorry, language barrier." She said, attempting a joke.

He obliged her attempt with a smile. "Lock up when you get in. I'll see you tomorrow." He instructed.

She'd ascended her stairs, a grin plastered on her face. She dutifully unlocked the door and clicked her lights

on and off twice. She strode to the window and watched as he drove away.

END FLASHBACK

She pried her mind away from the previous night's events and focused them on her closet. Normally, she

didn't concern herself too much with what she wore, it hadn't taken her too long to figure out that nice clothes

messy crime scene. It was a law of nature really. But it didn't stop her from wanting to feel pretty. So she passed

over her comfortable khakis and sensible shirts and pulled on a pair of fitted tan pants, a snug fitting white V-

neck t-shirt and a tailored denim blazer over the shirt completed the look. It wasn't too far off what she normally

wore, but she felt a tad bit sexier in it.

A trip to the bathroom and a go around with a hair straightner and makeup completed her look. _He probably _

_won't even notice. Plus this outfit isn't even remotely practical._ Her conscious chided her. She pushed the

voice away. "It's not for him." She muttered to herself. _Yeah, right._

Lindsay arrived at work with almost 20 minutes to spare. She'd made a habit of being early, it allowed her to

get 'centered' so to speak and gather herself. She stepped off the elevator at her floor and strode towards her

office.

He saw her before she saw him. That's how he liked it. He hated being caught off guard. It was a control

issue. His gaze had drifted to the door and had landed on her slender figure striding towards their office.

Something was different. Not sure what, but whatever it was, he definitely liked it.

She stopped short when she entered their shared office. She'd been surprised to see him, no doubt. Usually,

when he was early he spent the time by himself or pestering Flack.

"You're in early." She commented, trying to keep her voice at a normal octive.

"So are you. How early did you have to get up to look like that?" He asked softly as he passed by her desk

onhis way to their table in the corner, where the coffee was.

She had the audacity to blush, like she'd never been complimented before. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What? I can't say something? You look different today, that's all. It's a good different. Relax Montana." He

told her as he stirred his coffee.

"Thanks." She managed to choke out.

He smiled to himself as he headed back to his desk. He wouldn't lie, teasing Montana, getting the reactions he

did, it made it worth it. It was all in good, harmless fun, right?

Review? Only the beginning, please tell me what you think!


	2. Let Him Look

Thank you guys for all the encouragement! Lets see where this little story takes us….

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 2: Let Him Look

They'd been processing evidence for the last 2 hours. The lab wasn't huge, and the need to use the same equipment at the same time often arose. But they worked well together, moved fluidly, meshed well, whatever you want to call it. It was simple science actually, just plain old chemistry.

Danny flicked his eyes in her direction, looking over the microscope he'd been occupying. He wouldn't deny that he liked watching her, but he'd never admit it either.

Women like her didn't normally affect him. Normally, he didn't even give them more than a passing glance. But, being that he was forced to work with her, he had to give her more than a passing glance. Truth be told, he'd gone past glancing and had delved right into outright staring.

He made her so nervous. Why did they have to share an office? Why did he have to wear cologne? Why did he have to have those blue eyes? _Ugh, you're acting like a teenager._ She chided herself. She tried in vain to pull herself back to the case.

It was getting warm in the lab as they day wore on. She stood up from her chair and stretched. Danny had run to the break room to retrieve his lunch. She didn't know he was standing in the doorway, watching as she shrugged out of her lab coat and pulled her denim jacket off and tossed it over her chair, stretching her arms in front of her.

"Enjoying the view Messer?" Flack asked, leaning over his shoulder to get a glimpse. "Not that I blame you, they sure know how to grow'em out west." The taller man continued. For some reason, Flack's comment struck a cord in Danny.

"Knock it off." Danny muttered, pushing the man before entering the room. He knew Flack's statement shouldn't have bothered him, and he knew it, but it did. This was all supposed to be in fun.

He returned to processing without speaking a word to her. His changed behavior didn't go unnoticed. "Cat got your smartass tongue?" She asked, coming over to his table, leaning on her elbows.

He smiled at her question. "Just doing my job Montana." He replied, glancing up at her and coming face to face with a very unexpected view. He quickly lifted his eyes off her chest and moved them to her face, but it was too late, he'd been caught. She was already turning red.

_Wow, way to embarrass yourself! He probably thought you were coming onto him!_ She turned her back to him, trying to will the blush off her face. "Umm, I'm sorry about that. Didn't realize…." She trailed off.

He apology hit him like a ton of bricks. He had expected her to get mad or something like that, but here she was apologizing to him.

"Now you do know you aren't supposed to apologize when someone else looks down your shirt, right?" He asked, a soft undertone of teasing in his voice. She blushed even deeper.

She slowly turned around. "I know, but I mean, I guess I just don't wear stuff like this, revealing I mean, very often, and I forget, and do something like that… I'm really not that kind of girl." She fumbled, hoping she didn't sound like a fool.

He smiled at her attempt of an explanation. "I know you aren't. But just because you wear something revealing, it doesn't make you that kind of girl. And for the record, not to embarrass or confuse you or whatever, but the look works for you. You look good. You should wear it more often." He told her.

"Thanks Danny. But you don't have to say something nice just to make me feel better." She responded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she sat down with her back to him and re-focused her attention on the task at hand.

The room went silent after her last statement. He got up and silently strode to the table she was perched and leaned in, placing his left hand on her hip so she knew he was there. "I didn't say it to make you feel better. I said it so you knew I thought you were hot." He whispered, giving her side a squeeze before heading out of the lab to drop his findings with Mac.

His breath on her neck had sent chills zinging down her spine. She tried to shake it off but her mind kept drifting to his hand on her side, to the warmth she'd felt with his close proximity.

Luckily for her, he was sent out to a scene for the rest of the day, allowing her to finish her work in relative peace. 5 pm rolled around and she stood, closing out the last of her findings, notating the remaining information in the file. She tucked the file neatly away and clicked off the light to their office and headed towards the locker room to collect her belongings and head home.

The locker room was empty thankfully. Not that she was in a bad mood, but it had been an agonizingly long day and she was ready to wind down. She clicked the lock off and opened the door. As soon as it opened, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. She bent down to pick it up, scanning the words scrawled on the post it as she stood.

'It's time to collect on your raincheck. Diamatti's, 5:30 pm. Just you and me this time. Change your shirt if you don't want me to look. Leave it if you do. Danny.' She reread it twice, making sure it said what it did. She stepped over to the mirror and looked at herself. "To change or not to change." She murmured, surveying her appearance.

"You like when he looks. He likes to look. Let him look. He'd never do anything you didn't want him to do." She told her reflection. That settled it. She wanted him to look. Hell, she wanted him to stare!

REVIEWS!


	3. Intentions Unclear

DISCLAIMER: My lawyer informed me that, as of this moment, I don't own CSI NY and that I should stop telling people that I do… She also said something about seeing a psychologist… No time for that, vacation this weekend….

Thank you guys so much for reading! I really love writing it! I'm trying to update as much as possible, but literally, this is one of about 6 stories I'm writing at the moment, so I'm doing the best I can! That being said, here's 3!

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 3: Intentions Unclear

She got there a little before 5:30, her intentions were to beat him there so she saw him coming. And she did beat him there, but she didn't see him coming.

She seated herself at the corner of the bar, making sure to grab a spot where there were two stools open. The bartender came by for her drink order. "Vodka martini please." She told him. She quickly scanned the place. She'd never even heard of it before and now she knew why.

It was small, dimly lit, nothing more than a bar with a bunch of tables and mismatched chairs jammed around them. An ancient pool table was wedged into a corner and a worn out dart board was next to it. A few old TV's were suspended from the ceiling, currently playing the baseball game.

Despite it being a Monday night and being as small as it was, they were crowded, though the size could have something to do with that. She got her drink and was just about to take a sip when a warm hand closed over her shoulder. "Starting without me? Not much of a raincheck when you're doing it alone." Danny said, his breath running across her cheek as he moved to sit down next to her. She willed herself to remain calm and ignore the shiver running down her spine. _It's Danny. We're having a drink. He's got a girlfriend… But he thinks I'm hot… But he likes to tease… Shit._

She glanced at her watch, holding up her wrist, indicating he was 5 minutes late. He squinted at it, took hold of her wrist and began fidgeting with the dial.

"There, now I'm 5 minutes early." He told her, patting her hand as he ordered a beer before really taking her in. "I see you decided not to change. Interesting choice. Does that mean you _want_ me to look?" He asked, holding her gaze.

She fumbled for a viable response, unsure of what to say. Tell the truth? Tell him you like when he looks? Lie and tell him it was easier to stay in this than to go home and change?

"I never dress like this for… Anything, work or otherwise. I've worn it this long, why change now?" She said at last.

A grin spread across his face. _Nice answer Montana. I'm impressed. Very diplomatic._

She rolled her eyes and gestured to her glass. "May I?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him playfully.

He tapped his beer to the rim of her glass. "You may." He said, taking a swig of his beer.

"So Montana, why didn't you come out with me last night? Why'd you make me go through all the trouble of complimenting you and writing a note?" He asked, a teasing undertone evident in his voice.

"Well, it wasn't just going out with you, it was going out with Hawkes, and every time I go out with you guys, you start talking about work or the old days and I don't really have anything to say to all that, so it's just easier if I don't go." She explained with a shrug.

He watched her for a moment. Sometimes, she was frighteningly logical. "So if I want to see you outside of work, we have to be alone? I can deal with that." He said, taking another swallow of his beer.

"See me outside of work? Danny, you have a girlfriend." She reminded him, as if he needed to be told.

"What does _she_ have to do with _us_?" He asked, turning to her.

All of a sudden, Lindsay felt her face go warm. He obviously didn't mean what she thought he did.

"Linds, you got that panicky look on your face. Exhale. I didn't mean anything by what I said. I just was asking a question, that's all." He told her, mentally slapping himself for his poor choice of words. Leave it to him to make her think he wanted to use her.

She took a drink of her martini, trying to calm her frazzled nerves.

"I'm not quite sure what you're asking me, but I don't-" She started to say, attempting to explain to him that she wasn't that kind of girl.

"Stop, I know, I know. It was a bad choice of words on my part. That wasn't what I meant to imply." He said, cutting her off with both his words and the sudden presence of his hand on her arm both equally distracting. He sighed and pinched his brow, this wasn't exactly going as he'd planned.

"What did you mean to imply?" S She asked after a moment, her voice soft, he barely heard the question.

"I meant that she shouldn't affect us hanging out, that's all." He managed to spit out after a long moment. _Yeah, that's exactly what you meant you idiot._ He felt terrible, he was probably confusing the hell out of her right now.

"Right, of course, hanging out… Yeah she totally shouldn't interfere with that, that's all we're doing…." Lindsay agreed, the words sounding halting and forced as she heaved them out. _See, I told you he didn't like you. Look what happens when you jump to conclusions and don't listen to your head? It was all innocent flirting, nothing more._ She knew she should have listened to her head, but that afternoon it had felt like her head might have been wrong, and for once, she really had hoped it was. Obviously logic won out again. She let out a sigh, so soft that it was barely detectable.

He winced, closing his eyes. The confusion was evident in her voice and that little sigh at the end really was the straw that broke the camel's back. But what could he do? He wasn't entirely sure of what he wanted yet and besides, he still had a girlfriend to contend with before he even began to entertain the thought of going any further with Lindsay.

"You know, I think I'm going to go. I'm tired and it's getting late." She said after a long awkward pause.

He crinkled his forehead in confusion, glancing at the clock over the bar. "Linds, it's not even 6 yet." He protested, putting his hand on her arm in attempts to quell her sudden desire to leave.

She hesitated briefly, but stuck to her guns. She was embarrassed, hurt and confused. "I think it's probably better that I go." She said quietly as she extricated her arm from his grasp and making her way to the door.

_Damn it Danny! Way to go…_ He was frustrated with himself for allowing the game to go too far. He'd never intended to hurt her or embarrass her, yet he seemed to manage to do just that. He sighed loudly and tossed a twenty on the bar for their drinks and followed her out. He found her on the sidewalk, trying to hail a cab.

"Lindsay." He called, using her real name, hoping she understood that he was being serious.

"I'm fine Danny. Thanks for the drinks." She told him, never removing her eyes from the street, searching in vain for a cab. He stood a few feet away from her, hands in his pocket, watching her, hoping she'd look over, give him some sign that she was paying attention. She didn't so much as throw a glance his way.

Finally, he walked up to her, took her arm and turned her to face him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said in there. It didn't come out right. I know that we aren't just 'hanging out' and I didn't mean to imply what I did." He told her, keeping hold of her arm.

"Fine, that's fine. Can I go?" She asked, pulling at her arm slightly.

He was shocked at her response._ She doesn't believe me…. Who can blame her? Your past speaks volumes._ He lowered his head, knowing she had every right to doubt his sincerity.

After a long pause, he spoke again. "At least let me take you home. I know I ruined your evening, but you shouldn't have to take a cab, not in this neighborhood." He offered, silently hoping she'd accept.

Frustration welled up inside Lindsay as she whirled around. "I don't get you Messer. One second, you're flirting with me, looking down my shirt, asking me out for drinks, the next you're telling me we're just hanging out, then you turn around and start acting like the knight in shining armor, trying to protect my virtue or something. Do me a favor, let me know when you decide which one of your personalities you decide to be." She said, her voice quivering with quiet anger. Before he could say anything, a cab pulled up and she practically dove into it. But before it pulled away, Danny managed to toss a fifty at the driver.

"Get her home safe." He instructed the man as he drove off, Lindsay in the back, arms folded, staring straight ahead.

_Damn it…_

REVIEW!

How long can she really stay mad at him? I mean, look at him? Honestly, I tried to talk some sense into her, but that Montana, she's a stubborn chick.


	4. Notes

You guys are so great for taking the time and reviewing! Here's another chapter!

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 3: Notes

Lindsay replayed the whole messy scene over and over again in her head. She dropped her forehead into her hand as she sat at her kitchen table, nursing a glass of milk and a half eaten New York Cheesecake. The clock on her microwave read 2:46 am. She groaned inwardly at the hour.

She'd gotten home hours before. She'd tried to take her mind off the awful evening in every way she knew how. She tried taking a bath, reading, watching tv, going to bed… None of it worked. So she'd settled on comfort food, hoping the sickeningly sweet taste of the cheesecake would lull her to sleep.

Finally, at a little past 3, Lindsay decided to pack it in, she had to at least _try_ to get some sleep.

_Messer, you are an idiot…_ He chided himself as he climbed the steps to his apartment. He'd been roaming the streets for the last few hours before deciding to head back to his place. It was nearly 3 am. "That definitely didn't go as planned." He muttered to himself as he reached his apartment.

"What didn't go as planned?" A chirpy voice asked from above him. He halted on the steps and looked up. There in front of him, dressed to the nines, was Cindy, in all her bleach blonde, spray-on tan, fake nails glory. He had a hard time believing he'd once found her attractive.

"Hey Cin." He greeted wearily as he pulled his keys out and began to unlock the door. She took a step toward him, purposely brushing her chest against his arm. Normally, a move like that would've sent him over the edge. Not this time. Now, he just sighed and stepped inside, opening the door for her.

"We need to talk." She told him as she glided in, tossing her bag on the couch, her light jacket on the chair, she acted as though she owned the place.

He sank down in a kitchen chair, not even bothering to remove the coat he'd been wearing. _This should be good._ He thought as she settled herself at the table.

"Danny, we've been seeing each other awhile now, and well, some things need to change." She started, tapping her violently purple nails on the table, the noise grinded on his nerves.

"I agree-" He started, trying to interject, but she cut him off, apparently, she wasn't finished speaking. Shocker.

"I'm at your apartment almost every night. Or I was at least. I know you've been busy with work. But the commute to my place every day is getting old, plus it's taking me, like, forever to get to work." She told him.

He sighed inwardly. She was a hairstylist back in Staten Island. "Cin, no one's forcing you to make the commute." He told her wearily as he cracked a beer.

"Then we agree. I should totally move in with you!" She squealed. He winced at the sound of her voice reaching the highest octave known to humankind. Only dogs could hear her now.

"It'll be great! I'll get a job out here! We can re-decorate! I'll get a truck to move all my stuff over this weekend!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement.

_Do something, do something NOW!_ "Whoa Cin. You need to bring it down a notch." He told her, jumping in.

"Why? Danny, aren't you excited! We're going to be living together!" She shrieked, her eyes bright with excitement.

"No we're not." He replied softly, closing his eyes, waiting for the recoil.

"What? You just told me- You asked me- You said you wanted to live with me." She started, her face falling as she took in what he'd just said.

"NO Cindy. YOU said you wanted to live with ME. I never agreed to any of this." Danny corrected, setting the bottle down.

"You don't want to live with me?" She whispered, her face crumbling as tears streamed down her face.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Cindy, I think … I think it's over. I'm sorry." Danny offered, feeling stupid for his lack of an explanation.

"Is… is it someone else?" She choked out, unable to keep the question to herself any longer.

He exhaled deeply, unsure of what to say. "I… I don't know…" He muttered, rubbing his face with his hands. _Nice job. Way to make her cry. 'I don't know' for God's sakes Danny. Why don't you just add a little insult to injury…!_

Cindy said nothing. She just nodded and stood up. She moved through the apartment, collecting what belonged to her. 10 minutes later, she was done.

_At least apologize, say something, explain yourself._ His inner voice told him. He stood up to meet her at the door. "Cindy, I'm-" He started, but he was cut off.

"Don't. You aren't worth it. You aren't worth my time, my energy, none of it. And you certainly aren't worth anything to the new girl, whoever she is." Cindy hissed before storming out, slamming the door in his face.

Danny stood at the door for a second, lost in the trance of what just happened. He'd managed to drive away two women in a span of only 12 hours. _Impressive Messer. Way to go._ Though, there was a tiny part of him that knew he'd done the right thing, seeing as he was more upset that he'd hurt Lindsay than he was that he'd hurt Cindy. "That's gotta mean something." He muttered aloud as he made his way to bed. 10 minutes later, he clicked his light off and turned in.

The next morning, Lindsay was a little later than usual in getting to work. She was only a few minutes early instead of 20 minutes early, late in Lindsay's eyes. She'd gone with her old faded levi's with a white ribbed tank top, and a black button up shirt over it, black boots completed the outfit. She'd left her hair loose and curly, for lack of time to do it.

She got to the office, half expecting to see Danny at his desk reading over a file. She couldn't help the twinge of disappointment when he wasn't at his desk. A closer glance t his workspace did however indicate that he was there, just not at his desk.

She'd wanted to talk to him about the evening before. They couldn't afford tension like that at work. She'd just tell him they were better off as co-workers who were casual friends… That would be the best and safest route.

She felt very confident about her decision until she got to her desk. There, on top of her most recent file, was a note.

**Montana-**

**I'm sorry about last night. I had a lot on my mind, and I should have been more clear with you. I didn't mean to confuse you and I certainly didn't mean to hurt you. I'll make it up to you, if you'll let me.**

**Danny**

She smiled softly at the note. "Love letter?" Came a voice from the door. Stella. "No, an apology." She said, tucking the note in the file.

Stella leaned against the doorway, waiting for her to continue. "Danny sort of stuck his foot in his mouth yesterday and he wrote me an apologetic note." Lindsay explained, being vague intentionally, hoping Stella would take a hint.

She did. "Nice of him. He stuck his foot in his mouth huh? He doesn't do that often, he's pretty good with his words, whatever you did to him must have had an affect." Stella replied, leaving her response equally vague as she pushed off the door jam and headed to her own office.

Danny had killed some time talking with Flack and Hawkes in the main break room. He hadn't really been concentrating on the conversation though, his mind was preoccupied with what Lindsay thought of the note.

Lindsay sat down at her desk, now unsure of what she felt. She hadn't expected an apology. She felt like she should say something, but she didn't know what, or if she had the courage. So she wrote it instead.

**Messer-**

**Apology accepted. Maybe I overreacted, I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. You didn't hurt my feelings, I was just confused. Had a lot on your mind? Does that mean you don't anymore?**

**Montana**

She scrawled his nickname for her at the bottom and dropped it on his desk on her way to the locker room to stow her personal items.

Danny grabbed an apple from the fridge, saying his goodbyes to Flack and Hawkes as they headed off to a scene. He headed back to his desk to start the paperwork he'd been dreading. He'd no sooner sat down when he noticed a note on his desk. He read her words, a small smile pulling at his lips. He grabbed a pen and wrote back to her.

**Montana-**

**You didn't overreact. You had a right to be upset. I should learn when to keep my mouth shut. I did have a bit going on up there, but I took care of it last night. Thanks for caring, you didn't have to, especially after last night.**

**Danny**

**P.S. I knew you liked the nickname!**

He placed the note on her desk and took some evidence down to trace, hoping to avoid the paperwork a little while longer.

Lindsay returned to her desk several minutes later to find the office still vacant. She sat down with a sigh, not looking forward to the long day ahead of her, but her thoughts stopped as her eyes landed on another note.

Her eyes skimmed the note, noticing the change in tone. He seemed sad, and not at all like himself. She grabbed her desk paper, prepared to write back, but Mac stuck his head in the door. "Scene to process. You and Stella. She'll meet you in 5 downstairs." He told her, waiting for her nod of confirmation before heading off.

**Danny-**

**I hope you're ok. I'm headed to a scene. I'm planning to stop at Hogan's for dinner tonight. Meet me if you want to talk.**

**Montana**

**P.S. I only sign it this way because if I didn't, you wouldn't know who it was!**

She slid the note onto his desk as she left to meet Stella.

Danny found the note 20 minutes later. He read over it. _Do I go? Do I chance it again?_

Well? Thoughts?

Future plans:

Next, dinner at Hogan's… Maybe more?


	5. Revelations

Love the reviews guys!

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 5: Revelatation

Lindsay finished processing the scene at a little after 4:30. Double homicide. Definitely not one of their more glamorous cases, but she'd long since learned to detach when it came to cases like this.

She got in the truck with Hawkes, who immediately wrinkled his nose at her scent. "You smell like a garbage truck." He commented.

"Thanks for stating the obvious. You don't exactly smell 'Zestfully clean' yourself." She muttered. They'd found the bodies at a dump. They'd been processing trash basically. Thankfully, they'd known what they were getting into and she'd changed into a 'CSI NY Crime Lab' suit before they'd hit the sight.

They got back to the lab at 5:00. She helped unload the evidence and stowed it in the lab. She bumped into Mac on her way out of trace. "So you're a trash girl in your time off?" Mac asked teasingly.

She smiled sweetly. "Yep. Helps pay the bills. Us lab rats, bottom of the payrole poll." She shot back innocently.

"Go on. Your shift is over and frankly, your smell is quite strong." He told her, shooing her away.

5:10. Danny was off at 6. She had time to grab a quick shower, change and get to Hogan's.

She hurried to the locker room, thankfully it was vacant. She grabbed towel, her clothes, and her toiletries, silently thanking the hair gods for reminding her to bring an extra set of her favorite shampoo and conditioner.

She showered in record time, making sure to thoroughly wash her hair and scrub her body, hoping to get rid of the garbage stench. She quickly toweled off and pulled her clothes on, glancing at her watch as she strapped it to her wrist. 5:25. She snatched her blow dryer from her locker and began furiously drying her shoulder length hair. She knew it would be curly, but she didn't have time for much else. She let it hang, slightly damp still, so it wouldn't frizz as much. She dashed on a quick face of make up and was on her way by 5:45.

Danny spent the rest of the day tossing the idea around in his head. Dinner with Lindsay. They'd already tried drinks, and they'd gone horribly. Now she wanted to try dinner? He glanced at the clock on the wall in trace. 5:45. He got off in 15 minutes. He needed to make a decision and soon.

Lindsay made her way up the block to Hogan's. It was relatively cool out so she opted to sit outside on the patio. "Just you this evening?" The waiter asked, bringing her a water.

She felt herself blush a bit. "Honestly? I'm not entirely sure yet."

The man nodded curtly and headed towards the kitchen. She flipped nervously through the menu, not really paying attention to the items listed, her mind was focused on other things. She glanced at her watch. _He's not coming. He doesn't want this. It was a mistake. He's not attracted to me, I'm not his type. It's a school girl crush. He's too attractive for me and he knows it. He's probably laughing at the very notion of all of this right now. Now things are going to be awkward at work. He'll tell everyone about this and they'll all laugh…_ She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice Danny walking up to her.

"Montana? What's wrong? You're face looks like it's about to cave in." He said pointedly, pulling out a chair and dropping his lanky frame into it.

Lindsay managed to hold back her huge sigh of relief at his presence. _Mustn't let him know you're happy to see him now._ Her conscious reminded her.

"I'm fine, just got a little lost in thought." She said, her cheeks coloring slightly at being caught mid freak out.

"You always blush for no reason?" He asked as he plucked the menu from her hands, his intense blue eyes peeking at her over the top of the menu.

She blushed even harder. "Um, not really, no… Sometimes I guess, I mean when I'm nervous, or upset…" She stammered out, unable to string a coherent sentence together.

He laughed softly at her fumbling. "Chill Montana. Didn't mean get you all flustered. Here, I know what I want." He said, handing her the menu and a way out of the obviously embarrassing question.

The waiter reappeared with a set of silverware for Danny. He quickly took their orders and disappeared.

Danny turned in his chair to face Lindsay. "So Montana. Why the invite? What gives?" He asked, crossing his arms in front of himself, leaning back in his chair.

Lindsay cleared her throat nervously. "Well, I just thought we should make nice. I mean, we work together, and last night didn't go so hot." She replied, glad to be able to string her thoughts together.

"You call this 'making nice'? OK, well then you should screw up more often." He suggested with a teasing wink.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I overreacted last night and I didn't know you had so much going on, and-" She started, but he cut her off.

"Didn't I just tell you to relax? I didn't expect you to know I had a lot on my mind. As I recall, I asked you to get drinks, not the other way around. I should have made you aware that my head wasn't in the right place." He said, trying to explain his behavior.

"You're better now? You look exhausted." She said, peering at him closely.

"Stop." He told her, placing his hand on her arm.

"Stop what?" She asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Stop looking at me like you want to process me." He clarified. She turned a bright shade of red, which only caused him to laugh out loud.

"That's a good shade of red on you Montana." He teased. She smiled hesitantly and giggled a bit herself.

"This… Now this feels better. This feels like…. Us." He commented as he took a sip of the beer the waiter had delivered moments before.

She smiled her agreement, her insides melting to jelly when he returned the grin.

The waiter dropped their food off and they dug in, enjoying the companionable silence. That sort of silence normally bothered Lindsay, but it was nice, comfortable even.

He glanced over at his dinner companion several times during the course of the meal. This, the whole dinner thing, the whole mellow thing, it wasn't normally his thing. Usually, he'd be having a few beers with his friends, or watching whatever game was on TV. Women didn't normally come into play until later in the evening, when he wasn't missing anything by being with them. But Lindsay, she just made him forget about everything else.

"You're somethin' else Montana, you know that?" He asked as he polished off the last bite of dinner.

She glanced up at him, confused by his statement. "What do you mean?" She questioned as she took a drink of water.

"I was just thinking how I never do this… I never just sit with a woman and eat dinner with her. Not unless it's a special occasion or something. Normally, I'm with my buddies havin' a beer or watching the game. But here, right now, sitting with you, I can't even remember who's playing tonight." He confessed, not sure how she'd take his statement.

"Yankees and the Red Sox." She replied after a long moment, her voice completely serious.

He looked at her incredulously, and try as he might, he couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Only you Montana… I wasn't asking you. I was…" He trailed off, not even sure how to finish the statement.

"Danny, I was kidding. But seriously, that's who's playing tonight." She said with a laugh.

"Somehow, I feel like the girl in all this. I basically tell you that the world disappears when I'm around you, and you tell me who's playing. Incredible." He laughs as he reaches for his wallet.

"Danny, this is on me. I asked you here." She said, her hand on his arm.

His eyes come to rest on their touching hands. He rests his other hand, the one not in his pocket, on top of hers, squeezing it for effect. "Absolutely not. I may not be one of your Montana men, but I do have the ability to be a gentlemen. Don't tell anyone." He finished in a stage whisper.

She attempted to remove her hand from his arm, but he held it there with his own as he quickly dropped several bills on the table. He tugged her to her feet. "C'mon. We're walking." He informed her as he led her out of the restaurant.

Truth be told, he didn't know why he held onto her hand, but he liked it. And normally, he wasn't really one for showing affection for anyone in public. He liked to keep that sort of thing to himself, but Lindsay, there was something about her that made him want to show her off, made him want everyone to think, to know, she was with him, even if wasn't exactly sure what he meant by "with."

They made their way to Central Park, talking idly about work. He'd held her hand up until they'd gotten to the park. Now they were sitting on the bank of one several ponds in the park.

The spoke idly of work and their childhood, their lives before they'd met. "I admire you. You just pick up and move half way across the country and don't blink an eye. I've never been farther than Jersey." He admitted.

Lindsay gulped. She hadn't told anyone the reason why she'd left Montana. Even Mac didn't know. Her personnel file had stated 'personal reasons' in the section about her reasons for leaving Bozeman. And sometimes, it felt like a lifetime ago. She'd kept it to herself for many reasons. She didn't want the pitiful looks, the apologies for her loss, she just wanted to be Lindsay again. And she couldn't be her in Montana anymore.

Being here, in New York, with Danny, she was finally starting to feel like herself again. But her past was still there, it was still part of her. And she owed it to herself, the memory, and to Danny, to tell the truth.

"Well, losing a husband will do that to you." She said, expelling a whoosh of breath. She held her silence and waited for his response.

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	6. In Which Danny Learns the Truth

Great responses guys!

PS For the purposes of this story, Lindsay is 29 years old. Danny is 31.

Messin' with Montana

Chapter 6: In Which Danny Discovers the Truth

Lindsay watched as Danny's face was overcome with a look of shock.

_She…. She was married! How did I not know this? How did this never come up! Why didn't she tell us? Does Mac know? Why is she telling me now!_

"Now who's the one who's face looks like it's about to cave in?" She teased gently, yanking him out of the confusion that was his mind.

He was shocked that she was making a joke. She must've read his expression and figured out his train of thought. "Relax Danny. I'm not morbid or anything, I was just trying to get your attention." She told him, turning to face him.

"What happened?" He blurted out, then mentally cursed himself for not coming up with a more subtle way of asking that question. She didn't seem fazed by his choice of words or by his lack of tact.

"His name was Christopher. We were high school sweethearts. We married when we were 21. He went on to become a cop and I went to school for this." She said, referring to her career as a CSI.

"We'd been married 3 years when I got called to a scene. I knew there was an officer down, but Chris had the day off, so I thought nothing of it until I saw his squad car there and found out he'd switched shifts. He'd done it because he hadn't wanted to work that night, I was off and he wanted to be with me. When I saw him, I completely lost my ability to function. I threw up and passed out. When I woke up, it was 3 days later. They- his family, buried my husband without me being there. I didn't have a say in anything. It tore me apart." Lindsay explained, her voice distant and low. She fought valiantly with the tears that were threatening to overflow.

The revelation hit Danny like a ton of bricks. "Lindsay…" He muttered, his voice full of concern and sympathy.

"Don't… Please don't call me Lindsay. You never call me that." She choked out, her voice wracked with tears.

"I didn't think 'Montana' was appropriate right now…" He trailed off, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Danny, the last thing you are is appropriate. Please don't change that now…" She begged, her eyes brimming with the wet tears that would soon be falling down her soft cheeks.

In that moment, he'd never seen anyone so beautiful. Maybe because it was so tragic, so raw, so openly painful. There really was beauty in the break down. He knew it was morbid to find her so highly attractive right now, when her heart was open and bleeding, but that was exactly what made her so beautiful, the fact that she was willing to let him see her this way.

"I could do something highly inappropriate right now if it's that important to you." The words were meant to sound as though he were teasing, but somehow they came out sounding incredibly serious.

She just looked at him, her eyes full of confusion and sadness. _Just do it, show her just how inappropriate you can be._ He told himself.

Banishing all further thoughts from his mind, he leaned in closer, his eyes slowly closing, her breath warm on his face. His lips brushed hers and his body electrified. He pressed his lips a little more firmly to hers and waited for her response.

Danny Messer was the king of inappropriate, but she'd never expected this. Which was why her eyes had flown open at the pressure of his lips against hers. But it was her underlying desire for this very moment that allowed them to flutter shut.

She felt him press his lips more firmly to hers and after a moment of hesitation, she allowed herself to respond, she allowed herself to feel the moment, to appreciate it, to get lost in it.

Few things in life had caused such elation in Danny. But this moment took the cake. This moment would last a lifetime.

After a moment, he (regretfully) pulled back. He ran his tongue across his lips and cleared his throat. "Inappropriate enough for ya Montana?" He asked softly, not meeting her eyes.

Her mind swam with thoughts of what that meant. "So the reason you kissed me was that you wanted to be inappropriate?" She asked softly.

"That was the excuse. The reason? I wanted to." He answered easily.

She went silent, she had nothing to say to that. It wasn't what she was expecting.

"Maybe we shouldn't do that again… That was a bit more inappropriate than I thought." He said nervously, rubbing a hand up and down the back of his neck. He glanced at her for her response, all she did was nod absently, lost in thought.

"You seem… Very OK with all of this." He told her after a moment.

She took her time responding. "I loved him very much. More than I ever thought possible. But I knew that he wouldn't want me to be sad forever. He wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life mourning him. The problem was, everyone else thought I should spend the rest of life mourning and pining for him. Do you have any idea how depressing it is to try to be OK when everyone else around you is telling you not to be? It's incredibly frustrating and it all held too many bad memories. So I left." She explained.

He watched as she explained her reasoning for leaving Montana. Her eyes were staring out over the small pond they were sitting in front of. She was lost in her words, in her past.

"Do you… Feel better yet?" He fumbled, mentally cursing himself for his poor choice of wording.

She smiled sweetly at his attempt to be considerate. "Yes. I felt better the second I drove out of Bozeman. My husband's memory deserved better than what it was getting." She replied.

"Why New York? Why not Miami or Vegas?" He prompted.

She laughed. "Could you see me in Miami? I'd definitely be out of place… And Vegas, well that's a little to close to home for comfort. No, I convinced myself that this was the city for me. So far, I think I've been right." She said, at last meeting her partner's probing blue eyes.

"Would it be inappropriate to say that, despite the circumstances, I'm glad you came?" He asked, a note of seriousness in his voice.

"Probably." She replied quietly. She turned her gaze to the greenery that made up Central Park.

"Lindsay?" He questioned.

She turned to look at him, shocked to find him centimeters from her face.

"I'm glad you came." He whispered before pressing his lips to hers once again.

OK I know it was sappy, but I think it fit. I think he has a side to him that is capable of feeling this way without emasculating him.

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	7. Apples? Does He Like Them?

Don't own them, If I did…. Well, this fic's rated T, so I'm told I have to behave.

PS: Naughty words in this chapter. I warned ya.

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 7: Apples? Does He Like Them?

She had no time to register his words because he was kissing her again. It was like being drunk, her head swam, she felt light and fuzzy, short of breath.

Kissing her could quickly become addicting, he was soon figuring out. It bothered him that her lips fit so perfectly with his. He hated that his hands so naturally gravitated to her hips, to her neck, to her face, that no matter where he touched her, she was soft and warm to his touch.

His brain was screaming it him to pull away, to stop kissing the woman who just confessed her deepest, darkest secret to him. _This is wrong… This is very wrong._ He wrenched his mouth away from hers after his thoughts penetrated his conscious.

"We… We shouldn't… That was…" He fumbled, unsure of what he should say next.

"Inappropriate. But not all bad, right?" She asked as she moved her eyes to the horizon.

"Not bad. But not the best idea I've ever had. I took advantage of-" He started, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.

She interrupted. "You didn't take advantage. If anything, I took advantage of you…" She comforted, hoping he'd take her words to heart.

"C'mon Montana, you and I both know that's not true. You don't do that kind of thing. But me, I'm a different story." Danny said, distancing himself from her, all at once feeling bad for what he'd done.

She felt empty inside at his quick movements. She hadn't meant to drive him away or make him feel bad. She'd just wanted him to be… him.

She opened her mouth to say that but he was already standing. "I think we need to go. It's gettin' late." He suggested, turning towards one of the many exits of the park, waiting for her to stand.

She nodded and followed behind him, hurrying to keep up with his fast pace. They were at her apartment within 10 minutes.

"Night Lindsay." He said, coming to a stop in front of her door. There was space between them, an awkward amount of space. She went to stop forward, but he moved back. "I can't… Not now Linds." He told her quietly as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. With that, he turned and walked off.

She slipped inside her apartment building and hiked the two floors to her apartment. _He kisses me twice…Then he gets upset and starts taking the blame for all of it, then practically ignored me._

Lindsay slept fitfully that night, continuously turning the night's events over in her head. She was confused, terribly, horribly confused.

Danny fared no better. He felt bad. He might be the kind of guy who was inappropriate about a lot of things, but kissing a girl, the girl who you work with, that's bad enough right there, but kissing the girl who just told you she was a widow, wasn't… It wasn't his style. _What am I gonna do? I have to see her tomorrow, work with her, sorry, work NEXT to her… Am I supposed to avoid her? Pretend it never happened? Christ…_

Fate (or maybe it was karma kicking both their asses) had them both arriving at work at the same time. The EXACT same time.

Lindsay hit the button first. She'd woken up much earlier than normal. _Guess that's becoming a nasty little habit._ So she'd taken her time getting ready, hoping that it would take her mind off of Danny and impress him when she walked in. _Guess I'm a hypocrite, getting dressed up to avoid thinking about him, yet to impress him. Good call country girl._ She'd slapped a zesty looking fedora over her wind crazed curls to attempt to keep them tame and she'd yet to take off her slightly large plastic framed glasses. She tapped one pointy shoed foot as she waited for the elevator.

Danny got to the elevator a few seconds behind a petite looking brunette in a hat. _Good, a distraction, just what I need. _He licked his lips as he sidled up to the elevator button, pushing it and turning around, preparing to hit on the hottie that was now standing behind him.

Lindsay heard slow, casual footsteps behind her. She knew his walk, especially in the morning when he was coming into work._ Do I say anything? Do I acknowledge him? Do I let him acknowledge me first? Maybe that's batter, maybe it needs to come from him._ She held her position, not acknowledging his presence. She watched as he turned, his face set in a small smile, his eyes bright. _He looks so…Wow, I bet he tastes really good. _

All at once, last night came flooding back to her mind. She glanced around. It was early, the lobby was still pretty vacant. _Screw it, I'm going for it._ She steeled herself and when he came to fully face her, she took a step forward, grabbed his face, brought it to hers, stopping only centimeters from hers. "You listen to me Danny Messer. I don't care what you think or what you say. I LIKED kissing you. And I'm going to do it again. RIGHT NOW." She said. With that, she leaned in the last centimeter and pressed her lips to his.

He turned, preparing what he knew would be a smart and charming comment, loaded with double meanings. What he wasn't prepared for was the woman he kissed last night to grab his face, hiss some words in his face and then his heart damn near exploded as she pressed her lips to his.

It was, by far, the last thing he'd expected when he turned around. One of his hands went up to her hat to pull it off, the other following behind burying itself in her curls. The hand that had pulled her hat off, dropped the hat to the ground, went around her waist, hauling her body flush against him. There was something about her, something inside of him, something that made him WANT her, made him NEED her, NEED this feeling. Need to feel her in his arms, her body against his. _Danny, this is…This is… Fuck it, this is incredible._

As great of a high as it was kissing this smart ass of a man, she knew she couldn't do it in the lobby of their office. With a great amount of regret and sorrow at what she was going to feel like when she pulled away, she pulled herself back, stepping away from his grasp.

She brushed her curls back into place and leaned over to get her hat. She secured it back on her head and brought her gaze to him. "How do you like them apples Messer?" She asked. With that, she turned on her heel and headed for the stairs.

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	8. Turnabout Is It Really All That Fair?

You guys are some of the best people in the world! Seriously!

Don't own them.

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 8: Turnabout….. Is it Really All That Fair?

Lindsay hurried for the stairs, hoping her bold move wasn't all for nothing. _I have no idea what came over me…Why did I do that? How do you like them apples Messer? What the Hell was that? Oh my god… _

"Good one Linds. You're going to have to see him again, in…. Oh, 5 minutes…" She muttered to herself as she started up the stairs.

"Try again." A voice answered. Lindsay froze. _Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…He followed me… Holy, Oh, What am I… SHIT._

"Danny, hi… Listen, I don't exactly know what happened back there or where that came from or why I even did it… I shouldn't have done that in the lobby of our office building. We could've been seen by anyone…" She trailed off, not quite sure what else to say, plus he was climbing the stairs and getting dangerously close to her.

"Are you finished?" He asked, coming to a stop a few stairs down from her, leaning against the banister, arms crossed in front of him.

"Um…. Yes." She answered matter of factly.

"Good, cause you talk a lot. Especially when you're nervous." Danny replied, a small smile gracing his features.

_God, don't smile at me like that… I hate that smile…I love that smile…_

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, but if you're going to greet me like that every morning, you should tell me, so we can do that elsewhere, like in my apartment…" He suggested, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

_There he is… That's the Danny I miss…_

"That was a pretty gutsy thing to do Montana…" He said, climbing a step higher. He was almost at eye level with her.

"Had to prove my point." She said with a shrug, hoping she sounded as nonchalant as her choice of words.

Danny knew better. "Yeah? Interesting was of proving it… Very unlike you… But very like me." He replied, stepping up one more stair, now he was nose to nose with the country girl who'd tried to teach him a lesson using city ways.

She didn't trust her voice. Instead, she swallowed and nodded.

_She's got that look again… Stop it Montana… I swear, it's like she's tryin' to kill me with the wide eyed country girl thing. _

She bit her lip, unsure of whether or not he was mad at her, his tone wasn't really giving it away.

_She's biting her lip… Why is she doing that to me!_ He couldn't help it anymore. He felt her breath on his cheek, her closeness was allowing him to breathe in her perfume… He felt like he was getting drunk on her.

They were practically nose to nose. His piercing blue eyes locked onto her chocolate brown ones. Like two magnets, they inched closer together. He went the last few millimeters and brushed his lips to hers.

The kiss was so soft she almost missed it. _Almost._ But when he deepened the kiss, running his tongue along her lips, there was no missing that.

Just as she was about to pull him down on the stairs, he broke away. His expression was unreadable for a brief moment, but he quickly replaced the look with one of his 'cat that ate the canary' grins.

"Do me a favor… Next time you kiss me? I want you to kiss me because you want to, because you want me, because you need me, not because you want to prove a point…" He told her, his words barely above a whisper as he passed her on the stairs and headed up to their office.

_Turnabout eh Messer? Well, they say that's fair play…_

Lindsay collected herself and finished the climb to their office floor. "Is the elevator broken?" Flack asked as she pushed open the door to the lab.

She couldn't help but be embarrassed. "No, I don't think so. Just felt the need to take the stairs I guess." She replied, buzzing by him.

Flack rolled his eyes at her flustered response. He didn't feel the need to point out that Danny had given him the same excuse not 5 minutes before, he figured Lindsay knew, judging by the blush that had taken over her face the second he'd questioned her use of the stairs.

She hurried to her office, praying that the last 20 minutes had been a dream, maybe he wouldn't be in there, maybe he'd be on his way to a scene or down in trace, or anywhere but there. She stepped into her office and immediately wished she paid more attention in church.

Danny was there. She knew he would be. He barely glanced at her. "Morning Montana." He greeted genially.

_Huh? What is he doing? Is he seriously going to stand there and act like he didn't just kiss me in the stairwell? _"Danny." She returned, strolling to her desk, attempting to simultaneously keep her gait and her voice calm and steady.

"We got a hit on the fingerprints we ran yesterday." He said, moving to her desk, handing her the file. _Guess he is…_

_Thank God, a distraction._ She thanked the heavens and flipped the file open and immersed herself in connecting the new tidbits of evidence.

Before she realized it, it was time for lunch. She glanced up. Danny was gone. She didn't even hear him leave. _Guess I was involved._ She shrugged out of her coat and headed to the locker room to get her purse so she could grab lunch.

She pushed the door half way open and stopped when she heard voices, one in particular, that was speaking of her.

"I kissed her in the stairwell, OK Flack! Happy?" Danny exclaimed.

"Was it good?" The dark haired detective questioned.

Lindsay pressed her ear to the door and held her breath.

"Like fireworks man. I haven't ever had a kiss like that before." Danny muttered, almost as if it were a confession and it was too painful to admit.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Flack questioned.

"I thought about it… I think I'm just gonna let it be. It's all been way too intense and I just need to back off. I don't need all this baggage around me right now." Danny answered.

Lindsay felt the fire rise in her stomach. _Baggage? I'm freakin' baggage now?_

"So you gonna tell her that?" Flack questioned.

"Probably not. I don't want her to get all upset or anything. Plus, we barely did anything, not like we're dating." Danny rationalized. Even as he said the words, he felt guilt rising in his gut.

"Not a good idea. She's not stupid D. She'll know something's not right. I may not have the best track record, but even I can spot a smart one when I see one." Flack told his friend, making his way to the door.

Lindsay scrambled away from the door, rushing around the corner to hide as the two of them exited, Flack last.

Before she could even reach out and grab him, his words stopped him.

"Come on out Monroe." He stage whispered to her.

"How did you know….?" She trailed off, skulking out from behind the big ficus she'd

dove behind.

"You smell." He replied dutifully as they strode towards the vacant end of the corridor.

She stopped short. "I smell!" She exclaimed.

"Calm down. I mean, I smelled you. Your perfume? You wear it every damn day. I'm a detective Linds. I knew the second the door swung open that you were there." He told her as they pulled off to a side.

"Did he….?" She asked, her voice quiet.

"Nah. He might be a lab rat, but he's not a detective." Flack replied, leaning against the wall facing her.

She was silent. She didn't know what to say. She felt embarrassed, like a child.

"Sorry Lindsay. He's not handling this well. I tried…" Flack said at last, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

"You knew I was there. You were being nice. Thanks." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey, I may have known you were there, but all that stuff I said, it true." He protested, taking offense to her obvious accusation.

He was hurt. She realized that instantly. He may be a smooth operator, but he was a genuine person. "Sorry Flack. I'm just… I can't believe him…." She told him.

"He'll never learn…" Flack muttered.

All of a sudden, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Her words from earlier in the day were echoing in her head. _Turnabout is fair play… Sorry Messer, time for a taste of your own medicine…_ "Or maybe, he will." She told her soon to be partner in crime.

"Monroe, you have my full attention." Flack said, scooting closer to hear her plan.

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	9. What's Good For The Goose

GO BACK AND READ CHAPTER 8! I ADDED A SCENE I FORGOT TO INCLUDE BEFORE!

They don't belong to me… Credit card's maxed out anyways.

Messin' with Montana

Chapter 9: What's Good for the Goose

"Lindsay…. I don't know about this… I don't… It's not…. It's just not a good idea." Flack muttered, rubbing the back of his head, uncomfortable with what she was suggesting.

"C'mon Flack. You know that the way he's handling this isn't right. He thinks I'm baggage Don!" She protested, crossing her arms in front of her. "Now, are you going to help me or not?" She demanded.

_Man, I thought she had some stupid little prank in mind, not this…Christ…_

"Lemme get this straight. You want me to…. Set you up with… With one of my co-workers, a cop, an actual cop, just to piss Danny off?" Flack clarified, hoping that he'd gotten it wrong somewhere along the way.

She nodded her agreement. _Damn. Was hoping I was wrong…_

"I… I can't… Linds, those guys, they… they won't respond to being used. Actually, they'd be pretty pissed. And not just at you, but at me for doing it to them." He told her, trying to make her understand what she was asking of him.

"So, just tell them. Or I can. I'll just explain-" She started, figuring it would be as simple as that.

"No Linds, it doesn't work that way… You, you don't get it… You can't just expect them to be OK with that, even if you explain it. You're… God…." Flack trailed off, sighing as he attempted to finish his thought.

She stood in front of him, expectantly, waiting for him to make his point.

_This should not be me. I should not be having this conversation with her. We barely know each other…She doesn't get it, she doesn't understand what'll happen if she does this._

"You can't do this because you're who you are. You're very naïve to this city and to the people who live here. You're sweet and you're pretty and you have no idea what you're suggesting or what you're asking for. It's better for you if you just don't do this." He finished at last, hoping he'd made the impact he'd set out for.

Lindsay was quiet for several moments as she absorbed what he said. _Maybe he's right… Maybe it's not a good idea to go with some random person… I wish I knew someone…_

Then just like that, it hit her. "You could do it." She suggested tentatively. She watched as his blue eyes flew to hers.

_What! What did she just say! Did she just..!_ "What!" He finally stuttered out.

"It actually makes perfect sense. He'd never see it coming. Plus, you always know me, we get along, you already know what's going on, what's the big deal?" She asked with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders.

"Linds, he's not going to buy it. We're friends, he'd never buy me dating you. He'd see it coming a mile away." Flack quickly protested, hoping to quell her idea.

She debated his thoughts on the subject. "OK so maybe you're right…. But what if we just 'hung out' and made sure he saw? I mean, we don't have to pretend to date or anything. I'll just spend my time with you instead of him, or at least, make it look like I did." She suggested, her mind off and running with the new idea.

_This was bad, this was very, terribly, horribly bad. I can't… I can't just let her do this… It'll kill Danny._

"Lindsay. He didn't mean it… He didn't know what he was saying. He's a little confused. You've thrown him for a loop. He's trying to do what he always does when he thinks he's getting in too deep, only this time, he's having a harder time with it." Flack explained softly.

Lindsay gave pause to Flack's words. "So you're saying that Danny knows I'm not like all the other girls but he's still trying to treat me like them?" She asked incredulously.

_Ugh, that really doesn't sound good…That's not what I mean… Is it? Maybe she has a point…_

"Ok so I guess I can see why you're a little upset. And I can even see why you'd think this is a good idea, because sometimes the only way to reach Danny is on his level-" Flack started but Lindsay cut him off.

"So what's the problem?" She interjected, her hands perched on her hips, waiting for him to answer.

_Good God she's relentless… Maybe it wouldn't be worst thing in the world to teach Messer a lesson in women… No, NO!_

She studied Flack's slowly changing expression. "Please Flack? Just long enough to make a point. We aren't even going to pretend to date. Just hang out. Like we do after work, except it's just the two of us. You and I both know it won't take that long for him to catch on. A week or two, tops. And I know you wouldn't mind seeing Danny squirm just a little bit." She hinted.

_This is a really, really bad idea._ "No. Linds. I'm sorry. I can't. This just isn't right. I know you want him to get a taste of his own medicine, but I can't be a part of it." He told her.

Lindsay glared at him, arms crossed in front of her. Without a word, she turned on her heel and stormed off, presumably to go inflict her wrath on some poor unsuspecting lab rat.

_Messer, you have no idea who you're dealing with._ Flack almost felt sorry for Danny… Almost.

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	10. Extremes

Trying not to write myself into a corner here….

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 10: Extremes

Flack had been her last hope. Now, she was out of ideas. She had nothing. She couldn't even go back to her office, she felt like she'd rage on him if she so much as saw him.

Thankfully a friendly face popped up before she had to face the man of the hour. "Sheldon! Go to lunch with me?" She asked, so grateful for the ME's presence that she nearly cried. Her reaction wasn't lost on him.

"Sure, meet you at the elevators in 5." He replied, heading to his office. She glanced towards her office. She could make out the outline of Danny through the window. He had the blinds partially closed. _Good, I don't want him to see me._ She reached down to get her glasses out of her purse, only to discover she'd left her purse in the locker room. She quickly darted into the locker room to find her purse, only to discover it wasn't there.

"Lookin' for this?" A telltale accent questioned. She slowly turned and found herself face to face with Mr. 'I Don't Need This Baggage Right Now.' He was grinning like an idiot and dangling her purse in his hands.

She rolled her eyes and snatched her purse out from between his fingers, not even granting him actual words, just an annoyed 'pfft'. On cue, Hawkes came back from his office.

"Ready?" She asked, turning on her megawatt smile at the man who was rescuing her.

"Yep. Danny do you want to-" Hawkes started, getting ready to invite Danny to lunch with them.

"No. He's busy. Paperwork. Just us. Let's go." Lindsay said, practically dragging Sheldon to the stairwell.

"That sure is a popular method of transportation today." Flack said, coming up behind Danny and clapping him on the back. He took note of Danny's semi shocked/confused look.

"What's up with her? Why can't I go to lunch with them?" Danny asked Flack, obviously unhappy with the retraction of the invitation.

"Didn't you hear her? You have paperwork." Flack said, shooting him a smart ass smile as he walked away.

Danny hated when Flack acted like he knew more than he did._ Unless, this time he actually does…!_ "Hey Flack, wait up!" Danny said, turning on his heels to follow the detective.

Flack slowed down and allowed Danny to catch up. "What is it Messer?" Flack asked as he made his way to his office.

"What do you know?" Danny demanded, following the man into his office.

Flack took his time. He sat down in his chair, settled himself and propped his feet up on his desk before he even really considered the question.

"I'm not at liberty to say." Flack said, his smile easy, his eyes returning Danny's challenging stare.

"It's about Lindsay. You know something. Tell me." Danny told him, sitting down across from him.

"Why? Why do you care? You don't want the baggage, remember?" Flack asked, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back a little.

Danny groaned inwardly. Flack had the upper hand and he knew it. There was only so much he could say at this point without giving himself up.

"She was fine when we got here. Now she's making angry noises at me and brushing me off like I'm some sort of fly…" Danny muttered, still in a little bit of shock.

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you mention it, you're glasses sort of do make you look like a fly." Flack joked. The look from Danny silenced the laughter in his throat.

Flack sat forward, knowing he had to level with Danny. "I can't tell you what I know. That's a breach of privacy and I'm not going to do it. But you need to realize that she's not like the other girls you keep company with. She knows you and she knows your history. Keep that in mind." Flack explained.

"Yeah, I know. I know I don't come with the greatest reputation. But that doesn't explain why she's so mad at me. What did I do?" Danny demanded of the dark haired detective.

"Like I said, that's a breach of privacy. She needs to tell you that, not me." Flack told him, shrugging at the Italian man.

He sat back in the chair and thought for several moments. Then he remembered she'd been a little out of sorts that morning and hadn't put anything in the locker room. But she was so accustomed to her stuff being there, that she'd have gone looking anyways. And she'd have gone looking right around lunch time, when he and Flack were in there….

"She heard me in the locker room." He said flatly. Flack had no response, and that was answer enough. Danny got to his feet and went back to his office, debating the best way to handle this.

He hated the idea of Lindsay being upset with him. He hated that it upset him that she was upset. It all boiled down to her being deeper under his skin than he wanted to admit.

He glanced at the clock. He'd been brooding for 15 minutes now. She was due back from lunch anytime now. He wanted to talk to her, needed to talk to her. And it wasn't going to wait, not with the way it was festering within him.

He stood up, strode to her desk and scribbled a note. Thankfully he was able to use their current case as an excuse to lure her away.

_Montana-_

_Meet me in Interrogation room 2. I have some questions. _

_Danny_

He headed off to Interrogation room 2 to wait.

Lindsay's lunch with Hawkes was going well.

He'd listened to her situation. "I think he's a little confused. You're not one of the neighborhood girls Lindsay. Far from it. And that's what he's used to, so naturally, his defenses are up with you. He knows you're a cut above the rest, above what he's used to. That freaks him out a little." Hawkes told her.

She'd considered his words for a minute as she stabbed at a lettuce leaf in her salad. "Even so, it doesn't excuse his words. We kissed, a few times. I thought he liked me. Then he calls me baggage and says he's not going to pursue it. That's just rude and misleading." She pointed out him.

Hawkes took a sip of his water before responding. _If I tell her, this is it, this is going to be a turning point._"True but it's a defense mechanism. See, to Danny, there are two kinds of women. They kind you sleep with and the kind you marry. You're the marrying kind. And you're the first of that kind he's ever come across, so naturally, he freaks out and doesn't know what to do with you or how to act, or anything like that." Hawkes explained, knowing he'd just spilled one of Danny's biggest secrets.

FLASHBACK TO 6 MONTHS BEFORE

"It's not nice to stare." Hawkes said, nudging Danny, who'd been intently watching his partner, Lindsay, work their current scene.

"Hard not to." Danny replied, pursing his lips as he allowed himself to gaze only a moment longer.

Hawkes couldn't argue with that, Lindsay was definitely easy on the eyes. "Never met a girl like her before. Where I come from, there's two types of women. The kind you sleep with and the kind you marry." Danny explained, turning to face Hawkes.

Hawkes raised an eyebrow at him. "In my neighborhood, in my life, I've never run across the kind you marry. Until now. Lindsay, she's the kind of girl who ten times too good for you, and she knows it, but you still pray to god that she'll marry you anyways." Danny explained.

"So are you just going to be a spectator or are you planning on joining the game?" Hawkes asked after several moments.

"Dunno man. A girl like that is always an extreme… As in she'll either make you the happiest man alive or she'll destroy you forever." Danny replied softly.

END FLASHBACK

They finished up lunch in relative silence, Hawkes allowing her to process what she'd been told.

"We'd better get going." He suggested. She agreed and they headed back up to the office. They parted at her office door.

"Just… Hear him out. See what he has to say. What's the worst that could happen?" Hawkes questioned as he headed down the hall.

She nodded and strode to her desk. She dropped her purse and picked up his note. She scanned it and grabbed her copy of the file, and made her way to interrogation.

She entered room 2, it was empty. Not unusual, the suspect might be in holding with Flack or with Danny on the way over. She sat down at the table, facing away from the door.

"Flack, I'm locking it. Don't let us out until I call you." Danny had told his best friend moments before she had entered the room. Flack agreed and headed off. Danny entered the room, and opened the door all the way, and stood behind it, waiting.

Lindsay flipped open the file to review her information. Just then, the door slammed shut and locked. She very nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned and breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Danny.

"What'd you do that for? And why did you lock it? You scared the crap out of me." She told him.

He just smiled as he crossed his arms. "Good. We need to talk, and I don't need you running off." He informed her and he made his way to the other side of the table and sat down.

"But the door's locked." She repeated slowly, gulping in air and inhaling his cologne.

"I know that. Don't worry about it. I have that covered. Now, about what you heard in the locker room…."

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	11. Damn You

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 11: Damn You

She leaned back in her seat. "So talk." She said, her voice flat and uninterested.

She was going to be a hard sell, Danny knew, especially considering what she knew.

Danny was unsure of how to begin, he just knew he needed to explain. "I…I'm really bad at this." He fumbled, dropping his head to his arms.

She fought the urge to be nice. He'd called her baggage, he didn't 'nice' until he explained.

"If that's the best you have-" She started, moving to stand.

"NO! Sit!" He commanded, yanking his head off the table, taking her off guard.

She plopped back into her chair and waited, drumming her fingers on the table as she waited.

"I shouldn't have said those things. I got a little freaked out, I needed to rationalize. In the past, I've rationalized my way out of every relationship, every situation… And I was stupid to think I could do that with you." He explained, his voice low and filled with remorse.

She tried to wrap her mind around what he'd just told her… _Does he want out? Is that what he's trying to tell me? He doesn't want to do this? What doesn't he want to do? We've kissed… We aren't in a relationship, we aren't even dating, we're barely kissing…Oh God, does he think we're in a relationship?!!? Did we start a relationship that I'm not aware of??!_

"Yo… Hello in there?" Danny snapped his fingers in front of her face, jerking her back to reality.

"Danny, if you don't want to do this…. Whatever this is, then just say it, don't bad mouth me to others, especially people we work with." She told him, hating that he might really want out of this.

"See, that's the thing… I don't want out of it… I don't know what I want, but I can tell you that I don't want to end whatever it is we're doing… I'd like to figure out what it is first… With you, if that's ok." He explained, hoping he was getting the point across.

She mulled this prospect over for a moment. "I don't know Danny. I mean, a mature relationship with me means you can't lie, double talk, have sex with other women…" She teased lightly.

"Oh… So there's gonna be sex huh? You were all mad at me 5 minutes ago… Now you wanna sleep with me? I'm not that easy…" He replied, his expression sly and teasing

She couldn't deny the tingle that ran down her spine. His words made her shiver. But she also knew that this was something a bit more serious.

"This is more than just sex talk… I like you, but I love my life and I love my job. I don't want to mess either up if you aren't serious." She told him.

He understood where she was coming from. He knew she still felt like she had something to prove, to both her family and her co-workers, more importantly her boss. He wasn't out to get her to get involved in anything that would put her future at risk.

"Linds, I don't… I won't let you risk what you've got and what you've worked for. I like you, and I don't mean that in a simple kind of way. I mean it in a 'don't really think I've ever experienced this, don't know what to think, can't get you out of my head' kind of way. But I'd hate myself 100 times as much as I like you if I ruined things for you here." He told her.

_Damn you Danny Messer._ She was quiet for a few moments, collecting her thoughts.

"So we're doing this?" She squeaked out finally.

His blue eyes lit up at her words. He reached across the table and took her hand.

"We're doing this." He replied.

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	12. Take Him or Leave Him

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 12: Take Him or Leave Him

It had been a month since they had started "doing this"…. 32 days actually, but who's counting? _Oh that's right, I am…_ Lindsay thought glumly to herself. A month into their "relationship" and it hadn't exactly been what she'd thought it would be…

They'd "hung out" as Danny had so eloquently put it, less than 5 times… And always on week nights… On weekends, she never saw him. He barely called. It was Monday, she hadn't seen or heard from him since Friday, after the shift ended.

She wasn't a clingy girl by nature. In fact, most would consider her the farthest thing from clingy. But these first few weeks, they were supposed to be the "I can't get enough of him/her" weeks… And apparently, he'd had enough…

With each passing day, she became a little more confused, a little more lost… It almost seemed like Danny didn't know how to be in a relationship. Or maybe it was that he didn't want to know how to be in a relationship. Regardless, it was terribly frustrating and she was inches from losing her mind. She didn't really have friend in New York, working as much as she did prevented her from having much of a social life. And, at Danny's insistence, no one at work knew of their relationship.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Sheldon calling her name. "LINDSAY!!" He yelled, startling her out of her trance.

She started and turned to face the ME turned CSI. "You OK?" He asked, concern marring his face.

The very concept of Sheldon asking if she was OK, dampened her eyes a bit. Sheldon, slightly alarmed, pulled her aside, into his office.

"Lindsay, what's the matter?" He asked, his voice was soft and questioning.

She swiped at her eyes, hoping she'd caught the wayward tear. She knew she wasn't supposed to tell, that she'd agreed to keep their relationship a secret. But she needed to talk to someone, she was going to implode otherwise.

So, out it came. The whole story, how Danny had kissed her, then dismissed her, then fought for her, and now was essentially done with her.

Sheldon listened quietly through the whole thing. "Lindsay… Danny's a chaser. He likes to go after women. And now he has a girlfriend…. There's nothing left to chase." Sheldon trailed, not in love with the fact that he was telling her this.

" I just… He fought so hard for me, locked me in a room with him… I thought he wanted to be with me. I thought he'd changed, or was at least trying to change… I guess not." She said, keeping her voice low and struggling to keep it calm.

"Linds… It's not that he hasn't been trying or that he doesn't want to be with you. I just don't think he knows how… Maybe he just needs more time." Sheldon suggested, hoping, believing, his words were true.

"Well, he hasn't come to me. He hasn't said anything, asked me to make any accommodations for his behavior. And frankly, I'm out of time." She said with a sigh.

Lindsay closed her eyes to this revelation. She knew this. She knew Danny was the way he was, and would always be that way. He was unwilling to change. He'd said this, told people this, many times.

He was a 'take him or leave him' kind of guy. And right now, she couldn't take him anymore, so she felt she had no choice but to leave him. Yet, that knowledge didn't stop the burning in her eyes, or the tear from slipping down her cheek.

"He's not the easiest guy in the world to date Lindsay. He's your polar opposite. You had to know this was going to be hard. I wouldn't doubt for one second that he doesn't care, or that he doesn't think about you. It's expressing that, conveying that, that's where his problem lies." The ME went on.

"I know Sheldon. I know…. I guess I know what I have to do." She said, reaching for a tissue to wipe her eyes.

"Lindsay… I didn't…. I…" Sheldon fumbled, all at once feeling responsible.

"It's not your fault Shel. You listened and you were honest with me. I would never fault you for that." Lindsay said quietly, as she strode towards the door.

He stood and followed her, pulling her into a quick hug. "I'm here. Just want you to know." He muttered before releasing her.

She whispered her appreciation and stepped out of his office, feeling a bit better knowing what she had to do, yet saddened at the fact that she actually had to do it.

She clicked Sheldon's door shut and turned, and found herself in Danny Messer's line of sight. She heaved a heavy sigh and strode towards him.

His trademark smirk was present as always. She didn't return the smile. Instead, she handed him the file of evidence for the case they were working on and said two words.

"We're finished."

REVIEW

So I know this was short, but I needed to do this. I didn't want them to end up together, all happy and normal right off the bat. I want him to see what it's like to have her, then realize that he needs her more than he wants to admit. So no, this isn't the end of the line for Linds and Danny. More to come, just keep reading. And thank you so much for sticking with me.


	13. What If

The characters and the show aren't mine

The plot is mine

Don't steal my plot

I know where you hang out

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 13: What If?

Danny's mouth went slack jawed as he turned slightly to watch Lindsay walk away, her heels clicking loudly and authoritatively as she slowly disappeared from his line of sight.

_Did she just break up with me…? Women haven't broken with me in…Years._

With that realization in mind, he took off after her, catching up with her just as she pushed through the doors of the locker room.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What the hell was that about?" He demanded as he followed her, locking the door behind them.

She whirled on her heel. "That was me telling you I'm done, or don't you speak English?!" She snapped, her arms crossed in front of herself.

"Yeah, I got that part. What I didn't get was an explanation." He returned, struggling to maintain control in a situation where for once, he felt like he didn't deserve to have it.

"You want an explanation look in the mirror!" She quipped, yanking her purse out of her locker.

"ME!?? I'm the great explanation?! You gotta be kiddin'me!!" He scoffed, clearly aggravated at the current situation.

"Danny, no offense, but you are bad at this." She said with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders.

"What exactly does that mean???!" He demanded, frustrated as he held up his hands in a questioning manner.

"You are bad at this, at relationships, at what goes into being in a relationship. And not only that, but you have no desire to learn." She told him, her voice hard as she crossed her arms in front of herself.

"I've been in tons of relationships!" He protested, his defenses rising.

"My point exactly." She said with an arched eyebrow.

His faced with marred with confusion and disbelief. Apparently being in a lot of relationships meant you didn't know how to be in relationships. _She's losin' it._

"You know how to start them. But you don't know how to stay in them. You love the chase, the excitement of a new thing. That's why you lobbied so hard for me. You wanted what you weren't allowed to have. You pulled out all the stops to get me to say yes. And the moment you had me, you lost interest. Do you have any idea at all what that does to a girl's self esteem?" She demanded, her voice low.

For once, he was at a loss. She wasn't far off the mark. He did like chasing. It was exhilarating to him. And once he had them, he didn't have to fight anymore and that was boring to him.

"Maybe….. What if….I could….I don't know." He muttered, unable to come up with a reason or excuse as to why she should give him a second chance.

"Danny, don't. It's just not meant to be." She said, unable to keep the wistful tone out of her voice.

He picked up on it, mainly because he found himself feeling the same way. _She's the marrying kind…_ He heard the little voice in his head protest. The little voice was right, she was the kind of woman you married, the kind you wanted to bear you children, because he knew he'd need her genes to make sure his kids had some good in them. As much as he was aware of this, he was unaccustomed to this feeling, this sort of relationship, so he was, in short, completely lost.

She waited for a response, an indication that he understood, but she got nothing. "OK, well, good talk." She fumbled out, grabbing her purse and beating a hasty retreat, no longer able to stand in the same room at the man.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Danny Messer was miserable, plain and simple.

Not only was he miserable, he was _mad at himself for being miserable._

He was downright appalled. Women never did this to him, they never made him feel like this. If anything, it was the other way around. He wasn't supposed to be the devastated one.

But Lindsay wasn't devastated. She wasn't sad, unhappy, hell if anything, she was completely normal. He'd prefer it if she was overly happy and too cheerful, because even that would be a deviation from her regular behavior. But normal, normal was bad.

Not only was she acting "normal" but she'd recently taking to spending the time she spent with Danny and started hanging out with Flack, a notion that not only annoyed Danny but sent him into a deep layer of envy he didn't know he had.

He wanted her to be upset, be hurt, be…SOMETHING. He sighed, tossing his pen down and took himself to the locker room to collect himself and his thoughts.

"Knock knock." A deep voice came from the doorway of the lab where Lindsay was bent over a microscope.

"Hey." She greeted, glancing up at him.

"Ready for lunch?" He asked as he leaned against the door jam.

She smiled at the tall dark haired, blue eyed brunette. He was cute, no doubt about that.

"You know it." She said, shrugging out of her lab coat.

"Might want to grab your coat, it's snowing." He informed her as he let her pass by him first before following her out the door, trying to put her scent out of his mind._ You aren't supposed to be attracted to her._

"K, I'll meet you at the elevators." She responded as she moved towards the locker bays.

She pushed through the locker room doors and bumped smack into Danny.

OMPH! "Oh, God, sorry Danny!" She said, grabbing onto him to keep herself upright.

He in turn grabbed her upper arms, steadying her. "It's fine Montana." He said, locking eyes with her.

He still had yet to remove his hands, this was not lost on Lindsay. It felt like his hands were burning into her skin. She had to admit, being in such close proximity… It made her whole body spark with nervousness.

She swallowed, her dark eyes locked on his blue ones. She knew she should be moving away but she didn't feel like she could. It felt like she was in a trance, like she was slowly being sucked into his eyes. His scent invaded her nostrils, filling her head, making her slightly dizzy.

_Get ahold of yourself Messer! Let go of her and move on!_ His psyche commanded and he abruptly dropped his hands from her arms, as if he'd been burned.

"Sorry, I'm sure you're headed out to lunch. Wouldn't want to keep Flack waitin' too long." Danny said quietly, the remark not coming off as biting as he'd hoped, instead he sounded almost… wistful.

She nodded. "Yeah, he's waiting by the elevators." She replied softly. With that, she took the 5 steps to her locker, grabbed her coat and hurried out, not wanting to be in his presence any longer than she had to be.

She met Flack at the elevator. "Ready?" He asked as he pushed the button.

She nodded and they headed to lunch.

Neither of them noticed Danny leaning on the doorway of the locker room, watching them.

He didn't notice Stella standing in the lab, watching him intently.

_Why do I feel like I'm back in high school all of a sudden_?She sighed, shaking her head softly. Some people will just never learn…

"What's eatin' you?" Flack asked as he took a big bite out of his double cheeseburger.

She looked up from her chicken sandwich, startled.

"What do you mean?" She asked, dabbing at the mayonnaise at the corner of her mouth.

"You're bein' all quiet and mopey. What's up?" He questioned, popping a fry in his mouth.

She sighed and put her sandwich down. "I ran into Danny. Literally." She said, feeling stupid for letting something as small as this affect her.

"And?" He asked, trying to ignore the twist of envy he felt in his gut. It wasn't fair. She'd broken up with him, they were barely speaking, and yet they were still hung up on each other.

"I don't know. It was weird. I almost fell, he grabbed me, he didn't let go right away. It was just odd. It was like he didn't want to let go. Stupid huh?" She explained, a little forced laugh escaping at the end.

"It's not stupid Linds. It was just a weird moment, that's all. Just let it go. Danny's probably just upset because you beat him at his own game." He suggested, sipping his soda.

She furrowed her brow questioningly.

"To Danny, dating is fun, it's a game. He thought he could play you the way he played other women. You proved him wrong." Flack elaborated, gesturing with his fork, which he plunged into the cole slaw next to the burger.

She wrinkled her nose. "God Flack, lunch is supposed to be a light meal, not 3 courses." She remarked.

"Shut it Monroe." He said as he tossed his napkin at her.

_Why can't it be this easy with Danny?_ _Stop it, stop right now. You aren't going down that path, not back down that road._

"C'mon Monroe, let's go. We have jobs to get back to." He reminded her, as he stood, pulling his wallet out, dropping bills on the table as he did so.

"I can pay for food you know." She insisted, pulling a ten out of her wallet and trying to give it to me.

"Do you have any idea at all what my ma would do to me if she found out I let a woman pay?" He asked her as they made their way out the door, him pushing her money back at her.

"But it was lunch. It wasn't a date. We've gone out every day this week and every day I try to pay for my food and every day you say the same thing. You ask me if I have any idea what your mother would do. I never answer. This is where I tell you this isn't a date." She teased, laughing at their silly routine.

_What if it was…?_

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	14. Ironic

I would like to take a moment and thank you guys. Truly, you're awesome for sticking with me and this story. Here's to you!

These people… They aren't mine.

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 14: Ironic

Flack shook his head slightly, as if the quick movement would rid his mind of the traitorous thought. _Danny's my friend and he still wants her._ He reminded himself.

Lindsay studied the man walking next to her under hooded lashes. _He's a good man, a real man. One who knows how to treat a woman, how to be in a relationship. One who wants to be in a relationship._ She willed herself to stop thinking about him in 'that' way. After all, he wasn't Danny.

That very thought struck her cold. _He isn't Danny??! WHA?!! You don't want Danny!!_ Her inner voice scolded her for her naughty thoughts. _Flack is ten times the man Danny is! _ The voice continued to rattle her.

But it didn't matter, because as much as she tried to admit it, Flack just wasn't Danny. He never would be. He was a good guy, honest, and hardworking. In another time, she could've easily been attracted to him, but as long as Danny Messer existed, the Flacks of the world would continue to fall short of her desire.

They arrived back in the office frozen and sprinkled with snow. "I'll take your coat and hang it up to dry." Flack offered, holding his hand out.

She smiled gratefully, shrugging out and handing it to him. "Thanks." She said with a soft smile, fluffing her hair out, sending droplets of water everywhere.

Flack stood there for a moment and just watched. Her nose and cheeks were slightly red from the snow, her hair shown with the melted snowflakes, she was a sight for sore eyes.

Evidently, Danny agreed as he'd been on his way to Mac's office when the two of them arrived. He'd long since given up being subtle, he'd stopped in his tracks and openly observed the interaction between his partner and his friend.

He watched Flack watch Lindsay and his eyes narrowed. _He can't. He can't date her, he's my friend. I dated her. _He reasoned with his conscious, trying in vain to convince himself that there wasn't anything going on between Flack and Lindsay. The problem was, all he had was speculation. He wanted proof. Proof would only come in the form of words, and the words would have to come from one of them.

There was no way he could talk to either of them. That would be admitting he had interest and he clearly did not. Right?

He shook his head, clearly disgusted with himself. He never got this way when it came to a woman. He'd almost convinced himself that Lindsay was no different than every other woman he'd dated. Almost.

Flack closed himself in his office and sighed. This was bad. Danny was upset with him, no question about it. He'd seen Danny's face. Not to mention Danny had barely spoken to him since he'd taken to spending time with Linds.

His brain told him to stay away from her, at least romantically speaking. Danny still had a thing for her and it was becoming more and more obvious that she still had a thing for him.

He rested his head on his hands, which were propped up on his desk. This was turning into a sticky situation. His mind traveled back to when Lindsay had asked him to start hanging out with her in an effort to teach Danny a lesson. He'd refused because she only wanted to teach Danny a lesson and Danny was too good a friend to trick.

Now he realized he was doing exactly what he'd told her he wouldn't do. He was hanging out with Lindsay and it had definitely caught Danny's attention.

_This has got to stop, I gotta clear the air here._

With that in mind, he pushed back from the table and started off for the lab, intending to fix things with Lindsay and Danny. _I can't be with her. _

He was at the office within the hour. He strode purposefully into their office, finding Lindsay just about to exit. He grabbed her arm, practically dragging her down the hall toward the locker room. He pulled her in, shutting the door and locking it.

He turned to face her and sighed. "What is going on ?" She finally asked, folding her arms in front of her.

He took in a deep breath and instantly regretted it. Her smell was slightly heady. Why did he have to stop hanging out with her?

_Because if you keep hanging out with her, it's not going to stay friendly very long._

He sighed. "This… Lindsay, it's… It's not a good… We're going to…." He trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words.

She looked confused and bewildered. Her brown eyes searched his and he swallowed. This wasn't good.

He took a step closer to her and had every intention of clarifying his point. But as soon as he was in her space, he felt her body heat start radiating off her, her perfume invading his senses. Her lips were pursed in a small smile.

He sighed. _Damn it._ He closed the distance between them and pulled her to him. His mouth descended and closed over hers. Her lips were warm and pliant against his. He felt her sigh against him.

It was her moving closer to him, gripping him closer to her that jerked him back to reality. He pulled away after a moment, breathing heavily.

He held her at arms length, still not letting her go.

"We… We shouldn't… You, you need to be with Danny." He breathed out.

With that, he let go of her and darted out, leaving her standing there, beyond confused.

REVIEW


	15. Can You Say Awkward?

FIRST: GO CHECK OUT MY PROFILE!! TOTALLY REVAMPED!!

SECOND: THE STORY IS MINE BUT THE PEOPLE AREN'T. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME. I'M SAVING FOR A PUPPY.

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 15: Can you Say Awkward?

_I am a total asshole. I kissed my best friend's woman and I liked it… I shouldn't have liked it… Hell, I shouldn't have done it!!_

He paced his office, obviously upset by the unexpected, albeit enticing turn of events.

_This has to stop. He has to fix this, I can't keep hanging out with her… Especially now that I know what she can do with her mouth… NO! No more thoughts about her mouth, her lips, her tongue…_

Frustrated, he slammed his fist down on the desk. He hated lab drama, just hated it. The drama alone was a big enough reason to stay far, far away.

"Whoa there buddy. What's up?"

Flack glanced up and covered his face with his hands. Danny. He was the last person Flack wanted to deal with at this point, but there was no getting around it anymore.

"Danny, I don't know what you're gonna do, but you gotta fix things with Lindsay. You gotta fix them cause now she's hangin' out with me and that was fine until I kissed her. I don't even know why I did it. I'm sorry but I kissed her, and she kissed me back. And I liked it… Good lord I liked it, and you gotta fix this. You gotta fix this and fix it soon, cause if you don't, I'm gonna fix it, and you aren't going to like my version of fixing things." Flack practically yelled before storming out of his office, leaving a slightly bewildered Danny standing there alone.

_Flack kissed her?! She kissed him back!!?? What the hell is going on!?_ He didn't even know what to do with this information, how to process it. He did know one thing. He did NOT like what he'd just heard. He was losing her… Losing her to Flack.

_Women… Root of all evil._ He shook his head and dropped the paperwork he'd been delivering onto Flack's desk just as he got paged to a crime scene.

It was just his luck that he was meeting Lindsay at the scene. She was photographing the body as he walked up. She barely glanced at him, giving him a nod when she did.

He wordlessly started processing. 15 minutes later, they ended up bent over the same piece spot, him processing the evidence, her photographing it.

"So, is he better than me?" Danny asked casually.

Lindsay didn't even look up. "What?" She questioned, snapping another picture.

"Flack. Is he a better kisser than I am?" He elaborated.

She froze at the mention of the homicide detective's name.

"He told you." She stated, clearly not asking a question.

"He did. And he's pretty tore up about it." Danny informed her.

At this revelation, she paused. She had expected Flack to be upset, but tore up? "Is he mad?" She asked softly, focusing the lens on a small spattering of blood.

He reached out and grabbed the camera from her. "Focus on me for just one sec, would you?" He asked, pulling her away from the scene. He knew this wasn't the best place to do it, but the lab was worse and there was no chance she'd meet him outside of work to discuss this.

"He's upset. He doesn't even know why he did it. But he liked it. And he says you did too." Danny told her, his arms crossed in front of him.

Lindsay was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected this response from Danny. She'd thought he'd get mad or yell but he wasn't doing either. In fact, he was fairly calm. That scared her.

"I did kiss him back." She admitted.

"Why?" He asked, his tone clearly indicating that anything other than a legitimate answer would not be accepted.

"I don't think it's-" She started, but he interrupted her.

"Nope. You don't get to tell me it's none of my business. Not when my best friend kisses you and you kiss him back. I get to know why. Not as the guy you dated, but as the guy who's concerned about his best friend." He told her sternly.

She looked a bit taken aback. Hell, she felt taken aback. She'd never expected him to get protective of Flack… She just assumed he'd get jealous or something more along those lines. He was acting like he didn't even care about her…

That's when it hit her. It BOTHERED her that he didn't care. She was upset that he wasn't upset.

"Because it felt good. But don't worry, I'll straighten him out, I'll apologize." She told him tersely.

Danny nodded his approval at her statement, feeling it best not to say more. He turned and started back to the crime scene.

"Not that is matters to you, but he did kiss me first." She told him as she walked by him, yanking her camera out of his hands.

THERE YOU GO. ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE ONGOING DRAMA.

REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED.


	16. Unsaveable

Messin' With Montana

Chapter 16: Unsaveable

_I don't know why I have to be the one to start this conversation. I didn't even initiate the kiss! He kissed ME! Why do I have to make things right? _

She found Flack leaving Mac's office. She waited a safe distance away, watching the taller man finish his conversation and push through the door.

She willed herself to move, but for some reason, she felt safer where she was. A moment later, she didn't have to worry because he spotted her.

She felt a little twinge in her heart when he smiled at her. He was at her side within a few strides.

"Hey Linds." He greeted with a smile.

She smiled. "Hey. Got a sec?" She questioned, swallowing her fear.

His smile didn't even falter. "Sure." He said, pulling open the door of an empty lab. He gestured her through, then followed behind.

"What's up?" He asked, leaning against a table.

She climbed up on the table opposite of the one he was leaning against.

She hesitated. For a moment, she hesitated. _I can't… I didn't do this… Flack never even came to me about this… It's not my place to make things right… How do I even know if they're wrong…? I just…This… I can't. Not just because he tells me to. I need more. I need a reason to be sorry._

"Lindsay?" Flack asked, snapping his fingers in front of her face, and snapping her out of her daze.

"Don… Danny wanted me to apologize for the kiss." She told him quietly.

Flack tensed at this. "Why?" He questioned, not even hesitating.

She sighed. "He said I had to fix this because he's your best friend." She explained.

Flack sighed loudly and muttered a string of curse words under his breath.

"I told him to fix this Lindsay. I told him that if he didn't, I'd fix it for him." Flack confessed, his voice tight with tension.

"So… He just pushed it off on me?" She asked incredulously.

"My guess is, if he got you to apologize to me, I wouldn't be a problem anymore, and therefore I wouldn't have to intervene." Flack expelled a sigh at the end of his sentence.

Tears pricked her eyes. "I can't believe that's his solution… Get me to fix something I'm not even sure is broken… I thought he did it because he cared about you. But he only did it because he didn't want to be bothered." She choked out.

He didn't say anything, mostly because he had no idea what he was supposed to say.

"It's really over, isn't it? I mean, you kissed me… You're his best friend. And he wants me to fix it… He didn't even get mad, Don. He just yelled at me for letting you kiss me... And I'm not convinced that it was so wrong." She went on, not feeling brave enough to meet his intense blue gaze.

He pushed off the table and in two short strides he was in front of her.

He braced himself on the table she was sitting on, a hand resting palm down on the table, one on each side of her thigh.

"It wasn't wrong Linds… But it wasn't right either." He whispered.

"It could be." She whispered back, swiping at the tear in her eye.

"Linds… I kissed you because I like you. I guess I have no choice but to come clean on that one. But you kissed me back…. And it seems to me that you don't know why." He pointed out.

She nodded, not quite sure what to say to that.

"And Lindsay…. When I kiss someone, I mean something by it. And I expect it to mean something to them too." He went on, hating that she wasn't stopping him, blurting out that it was him she wanted to be with, not Danny.

She kept silent, knowing there wasn't much she could say. Flack was a bit wounded and she was afraid that saying something might only make it worse, and at that moment, she didn't want to cause anyone anymore pain.

"I wish… I wish I could do something. I wish I could tell you how to make it better. But that's not my job, that's not my place. This isn't my fight." He told her, as much as he hated to say that, because well, he was the kind of guy who fixed things, he knew it had to be said.

She sniffed, trying to stifle the tears, and nodded. Flack was right. She had to fight this fight. Right now, this had nothing to do with Flack.

He held his position in front of her while she collected herself. She hopped down from the table, but he didn't back up.

"Sort this out. Do what you have to do…. And just for future reference, if you ever feel the need to kiss me… I'm going to feel the need to know why." He whispered in her ear, then pushed off the table and let her slip by.

"Right now, doing what I need to do means going to Eddie's and blowing off some steam." She muttered to him as they exited the room.

Two hours later Danny ran into Flack just as he was entering the building.

"Hey man. Did Lindsay come find you?" Danny asked as they headed in together.

"She did." The taller detective confirmed as they waited for the elevator.

"Good. I told her to, that she should fix this with you, apologize, ya know, make it right." Danny told him, stepping onto the elevator behind Flack.

The detective cocked his head. "Danny, you do realize I kissed her." He pointed out.

_I really wish everyone would stop saying that._

"You told me to fix it." Danny reminded him, his tone struggling to remain calm.

"So you told her to apologize... Apologize to me for what? She didn't do anything." Flack reminded him.

"I didn't know what to do OK! I sort of went off and told her she had to fix this, because you liked it and you were upset…. I just, I don't know man. I thought if she…." He trailed off as they stepped off the elevator at their floor.

"Danny, when I said fix it, I meant talk to her, figure out what's going on between you guys, not go in and yell at her, and then tell her do it." Flack informed him.

"All this… I'm guessin' she didn't apologize." Danny sighed.

Flack snorted. "Hardly. But we did talk. About a lot of things." Flack replied dutifully.

"What about?" Danny asked, taking the bait.

"Messer, I'm going to tell you what I told her. This isn't my fight. I'm not going to be the messenger. Go talk to her. She's at Eddie's." Flack told him, feeling his heart beat a little faster. He was just so sick of all this, he wanted it to be over.

"Thanks Flack." Danny said, heading off towards the locker room.

"I meant what I said Messer. Don't think I won't do this my way if I have to. She's not a 'dime a dozen' girl, and I'm not the only one who knows it." Flack warned him before taking off to go find Mac.

He sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. He turned and pushed through the doors of the locker room. He grabbed his stuff and headed out.

He vaguely remembered going to Eddie's with her once. It was a tiny place, not well lit, she'd told him she went there to think. Right now, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Half hour later he stepped through the doors. It was quiet, only a few people. He spotted her quickly. She was at her own table, facing away from him, a glass of white wine in front of her, she appeared to be lost in thought.

"Hey." He greeted, gingerly stepping up to the table.

"What exactly are you doing here? And how did you find me?" She questioned.

"We need to talk. Flack told me where to find you." He replied, sitting down.

She didn't speak, just averted her gaze.

"Listen, Montana, I'm sorry." He said, reaching over to cover her hand with his. She

pulled away.

"I shouldn't have jumped your ass. It wasn't your fault. Flack told me to do something about this and all I could think of was to get mad at you and make you fix it." He blurted out.

She finally glanced at him.

"I agree." She told him after a moment.

"I didn't know what to do. All I knew… All I know, is I don't want him to kiss you ever again." He admitted, albeit a bit sheepishly.

"Not my problem." She said with a shrug.

_I'm dyin' here… She's not even givin' me a chance…_ Then in clicked, like a light bulb in his head went off. He didn't give her a chance before…. Now she was doing the same to him. It was going to take more than just his pathetic apology, that was blatantly obvious.

She peeked out from under her eyelashes at his sudden actions. She felt her stomach flip flop a little. Something was definitely up.

She pointed her eyes downward when he turned to face her, seeming determined in his actions now.

"Look at me." He instructed, all the pleading gone from his voice.

She didn't look up, just focused intently on her glass, letting her fingers trace abstract designs on the table.

"Lindsay. Look at me." He told her, abandoning her nickname in favor of her given, signaling just how serious he was being.

"I want to be alone right now Danny. It can wait." She choked out. She was surprised she was able to keep her voice level when she felt like her nerves were dancing in her body.

"It can't wait. You need to look at me. Don't make me help you." He warned her.

_He's serious. Damn it, Danny, I don't want to do this right now. I can't…_ She had two

options. Look at him or keep working. She knew he'd follow through. Danny didn't often make idle threats.

She sighed. It was clear that the better option was to comply. Crossing her arms in front of her, she leaned back in her chair, mostly so he wasn't so freakin' close to her. He made her unbelievably nervous every time he got that close.

"I… I messed up. I messed it all up. I knew what kind of girl you were. You weren't like the others, but it was easier if I could pretend that you were… I got caught up and made some shitty calls. And I feel bad, Linds. I do. You have to believe me." He practically begged.

She let out a tremulous sigh. "I do believe you Danny." She whispered, not trusting her voice beyond that.

"I don't know what to do here, Linds. I don't know what to say. I just want things to be right between us. I just want to be with you. I can do better. All's I'm asking for is one shot." He told her, now basically just pleading for her forgiveness.

"Danny… I just…." She trailed off. She was tracing the rim of her wine glass with a finger, not finding herself capable of meeting his gaze.

The slow strands of a country song played over the speaker system.

"Dance with me." He told her, his voice low, desperate. His heart was sinking fast. She wasn't budging… He'd let it go too far.

She hesitated, not sure if that was the best idea. But it was going to end, regardless of one dance. And a part of her needed it, needed to be in his arms one more time.

She nodded and stood. He took her hand in his and led her to the small dance floor, joining the two other couples.

She recognized the song a moment after stepping into his arms. It was "Unsaveable" by Faith Hill. The irony of it all.

He pulled her to him as the rich voice of Faith Hill began the song.

_**Love**_

_**So cruel**_

_**Yeah that's all I got from you**_

_**Tell me what in the world I do**_

_**But leave**_

_**After all that you've done to me**_

_**Now it's so easy to say I'm over you**_

He didn't recognize the song but he recognized the tone of the song. It was a break up song. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

_**Cause baby I cried a little too hard**_

_**A little too long**_

_**What I thought was right**_

_**Was way too wrong**_

_**And too far gone**_

_**I can't bring back the love**_

_**There just ain't enough**_

_**Available, impossible, unsaveable**_

She tightened her grip on him, breathing in deep, needing to smell him, needing to commit him to memory.

_**Here**_

_**You come**_

_**Tryin' to make up for what you've done**_

_**It's too late to say you're sorry now**_

_**Now it's your turn**_

_**You can't cross that bridge you burned**_

_**You're on your own when will you learn**_

_This song really isn't helping my case._ He dipped his head, his nose brushed against her soft curls. He breathed in slightly, smelling her shampoo. His right hand was on her waist. He splayed his fingers a bit further apart, needing to feel as much of her as possible.

_**Cause baby I cried a little too hard**_

_**A little too long**_

_**What I thought was right**_

_**Was way too wrong**_

_**And too far gone**_

_**I can't bring back the love**_

_**There just ain't enough**_

_**Available, impossible, unsaveable**_

She released a tremulous sigh. This was going to be it, the last time he held her this way, the last time she allowed herself to feel like this. She rested her head on his shoulder, just trying to block everything out, just feel the moment.

_**Love**_

_**There's someone out there for me**_

_**Who thinks I'm beautiful**_

_**I've got to go**_

He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing out everything but the feeling of her head on his shoulder.

"Is… Is Flack your someone else?" He whispered in her ear, unable to resist.

She sighed against him. "Danny…. Please don't."

_**Cause baby I cried a little too hard**_

_**A little too long**_

_**What I thought was right**_

_**Was way too wrong**_

_**And too far gone**_

_**I can't bring back the love**_

_**There just ain't enough**_

_**Available, impossible, unsaveable**_

Her arms loosened and she stepped back. He tried to pull her back but she stepped out of his reach.

"I can't Danny. I just don't have it in me anymore. I wish I could change it, but I just can't." She told him, her voice choked as she wiped the tears now freely rolling down her face.

He stood there, on the dance floor, completely speechless. She stepped forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You have no idea… I really wanted this to be different." She whispered as she stepped back. With that, she turned on her heel and left, her pace a light run.

"Me too."

I know you guys probably aren't thrilled with me. But this was never intended to be an easy story. I wanted it to be angst ridden. I wanted it to make you mad, frustrate you. Mostly because I don't think their relationship is going to be a simple one, a trip down easy street, if you will. I think it might be messy and difficult. So that's what I wrote. As you can probably tell, it's coming to a close. And I feel like I've got three options on how to close this out. And I haven't picked which ending yet. I may be nice and post all three. But I'll be the first to admit that I'm the kind of writer who flies by the seat of her pants. I generally have a plan as to how I want my stories to go. Sometimes I stick to the plan, other times, I don't. My muse is very finicky. So stay with me and keep reviewing!!


	17. Epilogue

OK so this is the story that's been holding up my posting run. The final chapter has been eating at me for a few weeks now and I've been tossing around several ideas as to how I wanted to end this and I finally came up with a chapter I'm happy with.

Thanks to all of you who've been reading/reviewing this. This was my first CSI NY fic and so it's hard to say goodbye, but it's time.

Messin' With Montana

Epilogue

_7 Years Later_

"MOMMY!" A child's voice shrieked as Lindsay stepped through the door of her brownstone in Brooklyn. A moment later, a small child crashed into her legs.

"Hey baby!" She replied, scooping up her 5 year old daughter Elise. She ruffled the child's light brown hair as her child squeezed her mother's neck.

A young woman appeared a moment later. "Sorry! She got away from me! I know she's not supposed to run in the house." She told Lindsay, wiping the hair off her face.

"No big deal Ann! I missed her too!" Lindsay replied good naturedly, waving off the babysitter's apology as she gazed into her daughter's big blue eyes, momentarily mesmerized by them… They were her daddy's eyes, no question about that.

She fumbled for her purse, digging around and finally handing Ann her check and sending her on her way.

"Momma? Where's daddy?" Elise asked as her mom set her down in the kitchen.

Lindsay grabbed a package of frozen meat out of the fridge and turned to answer her daughter's question, stopping when she saw the daddy in question sneaking up behind his daughter.

"Daddy's right here!!" He exclaimed, sweeping the child up from behind, swinging her around to face him.

She smiled as she watched father and daughter reunite. Elise squealed as he tickled her, then tried in vain to tickle him back.

He caught her watching and gave her a small smile. She smiled back, keeping her distance, letting them enjoy each other.

After a moment more, he set the child on the ground and sent her off to play. He took a step toward Lindsay.

"I've missed you." He told her softly, his eyes probing her face for her response.

Her face remained neutral. "Don't do this. Please." She whispered, resisting the urge to say more.

"Linds… I can't help it… I still care…" He trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm married. I've been married for 6 years now. That's not going to change." She told him sternly, crossing her arms over her chest, giving him the look she gave Elise when the young one was in trouble.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not Elise." He told her, mildly offended at her tactic.

"Well then stop acting like her." She retorted, already tired of the conversation. She turned away from him and started defrosting the chicken.

"Lindsay, what do you want me to say??? I don't love you anymore? I don't want to be with you?? I can't say those things. I won't say those things! You know that! We have a kid, and you know what, I'm glad I'm the one you got to have the kid with! OK! I'm glad!! I'm glad the only kid you'll ever have is mine!!" He shouted angrily.

She whirled on him, tears in her eyes. "You bastard! I almost died on that table giving birth to your child!! How dare you!!! If you EVER bring that up again, I swear to god you will NEVER see her again!" She hissed at him, her voice dripping with venom.

"Whoa! What the hell's going on in here?" A voice from the doorway said.

Lindsay's expression lightened considerably at the appearance of her husband in the doorway.

"I could hear you guys outside. I sent Elise upstairs, since she obviously doesn't need to hear her parents arguing about her. Want to explain why my wife looks like she's about to murder you with her bare hands?" Flack asked, leaning on the door frame, his eyes set on Danny.

"It's fine, Don. He's just leaving." Lindsay answered for him, her eyes daring Danny to say anything more.

"Yeah, I'm just leaving." Danny mimicked, grabbing his jacket and pushing past Flack.

Flack turned to watch his former best friend slam his front door.

"That was about….?" Flack questioned as Lindsay returned to dinner and he grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"What it's always about." She replied with a shrug, not turning to look at him.

He watched her movements for a moment. They were jerky, her shoulders were tense and her arms were stiffly pulling the skin off the chicken.

He put his beer down and took two quick steps towards her. "Drop it." He told her, gesturing to the chicken.

She willingly dropped it. She quickly washed her hands and turned to look at him.

"Wanna tell me what he said?" Flack asked, clearly not accepting anything other than the truth.

"We got into it and he told me he was glad he was the only one I'd ever have kids with. So I told him that if he ever said something like that again, I'd make sure he never saw Elise again. And then you showed up." She told him, her eyes filled with small tears.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She held onto him for several long moments, breathing in his smell.

Finally she pulled back, this time wearing a smile, which of course, given her words a few moments before, confused Flack.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked, keeping his arms around her waist.

Her grin grew even bigger as she lifted her hands to his shoulders.

"I'm pregnant."

FINIS!

So I know that was an odd ending but I just went where my muse took me…


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